Monday, July 6, 2009

Frozen River

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.

2 comments:

Tina said...

This sounds really good. I feel a trip to the video store coming on. Thanks!

Josh said...

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!