If you followed any of the Oscar chatter this spring, you might have heard about a little movie called Frozen River. It didn’t seem to garner much of an audience in the theaters, but I’m here to tell you that it’s 100% worth a viewing now that it’s out on DVD.
Set in up-upstate New York on the Canadian border, the movie focuses on two down-on-their luck women: one is a widowed Mohawk, estranged from her young son. The other is a white woman with an MIA gambling addict for a husband and two sons to take care of. Both struggle just to keep hold on their hard lives and modest dreams.
Through a chance encounter and shared desperation, they begin to smuggle illegal aliens over the US border through Mohawk territory. The runs include risky drives across an iced-over river, dealings with unsavory people, and the obvious criminal activity. The lure of easy money keeps them going, despite all the reasons to stop.
There is a quiet but powerful undercurrent of tension throughout the movie that kept me simultaneously rapt and anxious. The performances, especially Melissa Leo’s, are extraordinary.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Frozen River
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
This sounds really good. I feel a trip to the video store coming on. Thanks!
I liked it, but at times I felt like it was trying too hard with the "indie" vibe, throwing everything but the kitchen sink in the way of this woman. Todd and I joked that they went out of their way to cast very unattractive people to make it even more "real." Seriously, there's not a hottie anywhere in sight!
Post a Comment