Gerald Wright's Movie Coverage
FROZEN RIVER MOVIE REVIEW
Directed & Written by: Courtney Hunt (debut feature film)
Running time: 97 minutes
Release date: August 1, 2008
Genre: Drama
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
MPAA Rating: R
Frozen River is the story of two women from different worlds with similar desperate circumstances who are lured by fast money. They become involved in a plan to smuggle illegal goods and illegal aliens over the New York and Quebec border across the St. Lawrence frozen river days before the Christmas holidays.
Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo) is one woman in this engrossing narrative. She is white and a trailer mother living in upstate New York, minutes from the Canadian border and the Mohawk Reservation. She has two sons, T.J. (Charlie McDermott) a 15 year old who is trying to grow up too quickly and a 5 year Ricky (James Reilly). Unfortunately, she is married to an addicted gambler who ran off with the down payment for their new home she worked and saved for so long.
On the other side of this twosome is Lila Littlewolf, a Mohawk single mother who has been separated from her baby son by the Tribal Council because of her often unlawful ways of supporting herself and her baby. She must concede to the fact that her mother-in-law will have custody of him. Both women are forced to deal with the daily challenge of earning minimum wages and are eager to make a difference in their lives.
The plot thickens when the despair duo find a common ground of making ends meet in this venture of transporting. Neither women are comfortable with each other. At first, this partnership seems doom to failure. However, Ray has the type of car that Jimmy (Dylan Carusona), the Mohawk dealer, can use because of the bottom trunk space. Lila has a distrust for whites and this causes conflicts in sharing the money they earn. This ordeal is set against the elements of nature, because the frozen St. Lawrence River will melt. The area on the New York/Quebec border they drive across on the Indian Reservation where there aren't restrictions. This is a smuggler's haven.
The subplots in the story add to the urgency. While his mother is at work, Ray's oldest son is struggling to take care of the house and hold things together for his younger brother who is waiting for Santa. Meanwhile, the fact that the Mohawk people have alienated Lila, leaves her living a life of loner and an outcast. Her mother-in-law refuses to accept money from her and will not allow her to see her baby son. These situations set the stage for the sacrifices they make in unlawful acts. Is the money worthwhile when they could to be caught by the relentless State Troopers, the treacherous underworld who run the illegal enterprise and the river of ice that is melting?
Melissa Leo gives an edgy portrayal of a sometimes ferocious woman. She captures the sensitive moments as a mother in need of providing for her family. Her filmography as a working actor for more than 20 years with over 70 films and television productions including 21 Grams, The Three Burials of Milquiades and the notably famous Homicide: Life on the Streets gives her the experience to pull off the brilliant performance. The plot is very effective and gives great credit to a fantastic screenplay that's worthy of an award nomination for Courtney Hunt. Melissa Leo's name has been tossed into the hat as a Best Actress contender.
This film is not a big budget glamorous movie; however, it is a realistic drama that deals with authentic problems. Frozen River also deals with issues hidden from and overlooked by mainstream American. The film explores these issues with the added benefit of exceptionally good acting. I expect to hear about this film at Academy Award voting time.
FILM RATING (A) |
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