Frozen River
February 13th 2009 10:25
Generally, when films are made depicting characters in poverty or "lower class" settings, they end up coming across as somewhat contrived caricatures of the down trodden. As someone who grew up in a world of limited means and difficult circumstances, I often find myself offended and disheartened by the depiction of poor people in cinema. This was not the case with the beautifully realized film "Frozen River".
The film is set in New York State on the Canadian border, in a town where the down-and-out white population struggles to live, along side the the equally impoverished Mohawk Indians of a nearby Reservation.
The film opens with a close-up on the face of a single mother named Ray, played to perfection by Melissa Leo. This initial shot captures instantly the essence of the woman and her struggle. Her face is weathered and drawn down. She nervously smokes a cigarette as tears stream down her face and she quickly wipes them away. She is sitting in her housecoat in her car, staring at an empty glove compartment. The scene pulls back to reveal that the car sits outside a worn down trailer home in the middle of a snowy winter landscape.
We soon realize that Ray, a mother of two boys, has been robbed by her own husband, a gambling addict, of the money she'd been saving to put a down payment on a new trailer for the family. In fact, this takes place on the very day that her new trailer is being delivered.
Her oldest son TJ, played by the impressive Charlie McDermott, is old enough to understand what is going on, and he pleads with his mother to allow him to get a job and try to help out. Ray tells him this is out of the question. She tells the 15 year old that his job is to go to school and take care of his little brother, while she works at the local Dollar Store.
After sending her kids off to school, she sets out to find her husband and her money. She spots his car at the local Bingo parlor. While inside looking for him, a young Native American girl is seen getting into the car and driving away. Ray witnesses this as she exits the building and follows the girl to her dilapidated trailer on the Mohawk Reservation. The young woman's name is Lila (Misty Upham), and she explains to Ray that she assumed the car was abandoned by Ray's husband since she witnessed him leaving it at a bus station.
This fateful encounter leads to Ray becoming wrapped up in a world of illegal aliens and human trafficking. Lila is a smuggler and her job is to transport illegals from Canada to the U.S. This reservation occupies parts of Canada as well as the U.S., and she can make some good money by driving across the frozen river between the countries and smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S. But she needs a car. And Ray has the right kind of car with a large trunk.
Ray quickly realizes the money that can be made in these transactions, and in her desperation to keep her family together, she joins Lila on a few runs to make some money. Along the way, this partnership of convenience between two women who appear to have little in common leads to a bond that is at once troubling and incredibly moving. Ray initially hates Lila for stealing her husband's car and getting her involved in this dangerous world. Lila, in turn, hates Ray for what she considers to be her privileged white background. Eventually, the two women realize that they can use each other to improve both of their situations.
Everything about this film evokes strong emotion. From the frozen and barren landscape to the heart breaking characters. The entire film takes place in the days leading up to and immediately following Christmas. Ray desperately wants to provide her children with presents and a new home for the season, and Lila simply wants to regain custody of her 1 year old son, who was taken by her mother in law after her husband is killed in an accident related to smuggling.
These two women are desperate, hard, and strong. Although they are caught up in this illegal activity, they are not bad people. They are both doing what they think is the last resort in order to keep their families together. The film is not about illegal immigration. It is more about what people will do in order to survive, and how despite the outward differences between the two women, their struggle is strikingly the same, and the audience is taken along on this journey of hardship and sacrifice, triumph and sadness, joy and despair.
Directed by Courtney Hunt on a meager one million dollar budget, "Frozen River" is one of the best films of 2008, and Melissa Leo delivers the best performance by any actor I've seen in a long time. Every detail of the film is authentic and true, and deserves to be seen and celebrated alongside any Hollywood blockbuster film. Watch the trailer below:
The film is set in New York State on the Canadian border, in a town where the down-and-out white population struggles to live, along side the the equally impoverished Mohawk Indians of a nearby Reservation.
The film opens with a close-up on the face of a single mother named Ray, played to perfection by Melissa Leo. This initial shot captures instantly the essence of the woman and her struggle. Her face is weathered and drawn down. She nervously smokes a cigarette as tears stream down her face and she quickly wipes them away. She is sitting in her housecoat in her car, staring at an empty glove compartment. The scene pulls back to reveal that the car sits outside a worn down trailer home in the middle of a snowy winter landscape.
We soon realize that Ray, a mother of two boys, has been robbed by her own husband, a gambling addict, of the money she'd been saving to put a down payment on a new trailer for the family. In fact, this takes place on the very day that her new trailer is being delivered.
Her oldest son TJ, played by the impressive Charlie McDermott, is old enough to understand what is going on, and he pleads with his mother to allow him to get a job and try to help out. Ray tells him this is out of the question. She tells the 15 year old that his job is to go to school and take care of his little brother, while she works at the local Dollar Store.
After sending her kids off to school, she sets out to find her husband and her money. She spots his car at the local Bingo parlor. While inside looking for him, a young Native American girl is seen getting into the car and driving away. Ray witnesses this as she exits the building and follows the girl to her dilapidated trailer on the Mohawk Reservation. The young woman's name is Lila (Misty Upham), and she explains to Ray that she assumed the car was abandoned by Ray's husband since she witnessed him leaving it at a bus station.
This fateful encounter leads to Ray becoming wrapped up in a world of illegal aliens and human trafficking. Lila is a smuggler and her job is to transport illegals from Canada to the U.S. This reservation occupies parts of Canada as well as the U.S., and she can make some good money by driving across the frozen river between the countries and smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S. But she needs a car. And Ray has the right kind of car with a large trunk.
Ray quickly realizes the money that can be made in these transactions, and in her desperation to keep her family together, she joins Lila on a few runs to make some money. Along the way, this partnership of convenience between two women who appear to have little in common leads to a bond that is at once troubling and incredibly moving. Ray initially hates Lila for stealing her husband's car and getting her involved in this dangerous world. Lila, in turn, hates Ray for what she considers to be her privileged white background. Eventually, the two women realize that they can use each other to improve both of their situations.
Misty Upham and Melissa Leo
Everything about this film evokes strong emotion. From the frozen and barren landscape to the heart breaking characters. The entire film takes place in the days leading up to and immediately following Christmas. Ray desperately wants to provide her children with presents and a new home for the season, and Lila simply wants to regain custody of her 1 year old son, who was taken by her mother in law after her husband is killed in an accident related to smuggling.
These two women are desperate, hard, and strong. Although they are caught up in this illegal activity, they are not bad people. They are both doing what they think is the last resort in order to keep their families together. The film is not about illegal immigration. It is more about what people will do in order to survive, and how despite the outward differences between the two women, their struggle is strikingly the same, and the audience is taken along on this journey of hardship and sacrifice, triumph and sadness, joy and despair.
Directed by Courtney Hunt on a meager one million dollar budget, "Frozen River" is one of the best films of 2008, and Melissa Leo delivers the best performance by any actor I've seen in a long time. Every detail of the film is authentic and true, and deserves to be seen and celebrated alongside any Hollywood blockbuster film. Watch the trailer below:
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Comment by Michelle Sweeney
Competition Queen
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
Good review.
Comment by Lola Tahlulah
Lola Tahlulah
Comment by Cheryl J
Rhythmatism
Budget Centsability
Comment by Michelle Sweeney
Competition Queen
Comment by Natalie 2
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
I had forgotten to mention Melissa Leo's Golden Globe and Oscar noms for this film. She definitely deserves them.