Better Late Then Never

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Looking back on 'Frozen River', you can clearly see writer-director, Courtney Hunt has planned and executed it with her own clear, well thought-out intentions. Not only to show a tale of a woman in danger, but to provide a well crafted insight into an American life that many may not be aware of. From life in a Native American reservation to the smuggling of immigrants, it also explores some unexpected themes too. However I found the visuals and atmosphere very very depressing, notably a shot showing popcorn being served for dinner in a grim caravan. Although this is intended, it doesn't make for the greatest cinematic experience. I'd compare the film to the Ken Loach film 'Kes' in its tone and everyman/woman characters, although 'Frozen River' is slightly more uplifting.

"What if a trooper stops us? -They're not gonna stop you, you're white."Frozen River made a lot of noise in 2008 after debuting in the Sundance Film Festival and winning the Grand Jury Prize. It went on to win many other awards and even received two Academy Award nominations for best lead performance from Melissa Leo and for original screenplay written by Courtney Hunt who also directed this grim indie film. It is an impressive debut film considering the subject matter usually doesn't attract much attention. The story centers on a mother who's left with the task of raising her two children on her own after her husband has abandoned them ten days before Christmas. He took off with the money that her wife had been saving. It takes place in Massena, New York, near the Canadian border where a Mohawk reservation exists. She meets a Mohawk named Lila and circumstances lead her to smuggle illegal immigrants across a frozen river in order to sustain her family. Frozen River is a character study of a hard willed woman who is determined to do what it takes to provide for her children. It can be a challenging watch for the audience, but Melissa Leo's authentic performance makes it an engaging one. There are very few films that center around strong female characters, and Courtney Hunt has directed and written a powerful one. This film reminds me a lot of Winter Bone (which came out a couple of years later) which also benefited from a strong female performance. It is a tale of endurance and focuses on the American underclass that very seldom is portrayed on film in an authentic manner. I enjoyed this film so much that I'm actually looking forward to Hunt's next film (The Whole Truth) which will be released this year. Melissa Leo deservedly received an Oscar nod for her performance and I think this was the perfect role for her. She has this authentic look and is credible as a single mother who is willing to do what it takes to get out of her current situation. Her chemistry with Misty Upham is what makes this film standout. Upham is also given a strong female character to play and she delivers a strong performance. She and Leo's character both are going through difficult moments in their lives struggling with poverty. They are matched together by the circumstances they are facing despite their differences and that relationship is the heart of the film. The kids played by Charlie McDermott and James Reilly are both solid, but the female characters are the heart and soul of this film. The scenery also plays a huge role in this film considering the harsh and freezing conditions are transmitted to the characters in the story. They struggle and battle with the adversities presented in their lives with fearless strength. It is a small gritty indie drama that is worth checking out, especially if you were a fan of Winter's Bone.

Frozen River caused quite the stir when it was realised four years back. After lots of festival attention, it earned two Academy Awards nominations. The first was for writer-director Courtney Hunt's original screenplay, and the second was a best actress nod for Melissa Leo. Finally catching up with this film, as the first in my "SHITTY Christmas!" series, I'm firstly left bemused as to why the Academy were so impressed with the clunky script, and secondly, angry that Leo's staggering performance didn't get the gong it deserved.Set on the snowbound American side of the New York/Quebec border, Leo plays the fatigued shop assistant Ray, with a ballsy, pugnacious streak. That ruthless attitude proves useful when her gambling addict husband takes off with the money the pair had been saving for a new static caravan home. Leaving crumbs for her and their two kids the week before Christmas, Ray must find a steadfast way to quash the family debt, settle the final payment on the new house, and have enough money to plant gifts underneath the tree.But luck strikes in the strangest of places. Whilst she's out wielding a gun and hunting for her husband, Ray bumps into the stoical Lila (Misty Upham), a young woman from a neighbouring Mohawk reservation. She's desperate for money too, needing enough to start up a clean life with her baby boy son, currently being sheltered by her mother-in-law (similarly to Ray, her husband bailed too). Lila's figured out how to make extra cash by ferrying illegal immigrants across the border via the connected frozen river – but she needs a 'trustworthy-looking' white woman to carry out the scheme.From the offset, it's clear that Ray & Lila's relationship is strictly professional. They argue, point guns, and exchange flippant racial abuse at each other. But they have one thing in common, a desperation to do what's right for their respective families, and they're willing to break the law, risk prison and even death to see that happen.An alleged 14 years in the making, director-writer Courtney Hunt's debut feature is perhaps a little belaboured. What could have been a very tight, singular character study, ends up being diluted and drowned by the ancillary characters and the extraneous plot depths they bring. Misty Upham seems to be on the brink of solid, stoney-faced characterisation but, like the rest of the cast, she is also upstaged by Leo. It's a huge problem in this little, $1million budget movie. Whenever Melissa Leo isn't in the frame, Frozen River is too dour to be entertaining, and everything ends up grinding to a halt.Fortunately enough, Hunt is aware that Leo really is the star of the movie, giving her the respect, creative license and screen time she deserves to pull off one astonishing breakthrough performance. In any other actor's hands, it would have been a melodramatic take on a woman on the brink of depression and despair. But, in something closely resembling Debra Granik's superior movie Winter's Bone, Leo turns Frozen River into an affecting, frosty depiction of female empowerment.Read more reviews here: www.366movies.com

"Frozen River" is a captivating independent movie that stars Oscar winner Melissa Leo as a long-suffering wife named Ray who is wed to gambling addicted husband who has fled the coop shortly before the Holiday Season. On her own raising her adolescent son T.J. (Charlie McDermott) and her toddler son Ricky (James Reilly) and if you think raising two children in squalor is bad, Ray is constantly badgered by creditors. All there is to eat on the menu at their house is powered drinks and potato chips. She works at a dollar store where she's been been contemplating a promotion that has been promised to her for two years. Melissa and her two offspring reside in a trailer that is not in the best of condition. She has dreams for something much more better. Lady luck comes her way when she joins forces with a young Native woman from a Mohawk Nation that rests between the United States and Canadian border. As an alliance they embark on smuggling illegal immigrants into North America. Ray will continue to do it until she has enough dough for a better establishment. But it isn't until very long that the police are hot on her trail. The question is will she be able to make enough to support her family?At first Ray and Lila (Misty Upham) start off as strictly business allies. But as the film progresses, they begin to progressively have faith in each other. The movie also looks at the poverty that's faced in the reservation and how neglected and overlooked Native reservations have faced over the years in both Canada and the United States. This one should be admired by many. It tells a bleak observation that people will do anything to get what they want and it's not always a bad thing. In the case of Ray, she's doing an illegal mission, but not for selfish purposes. There's no explosions or cheap thrills, but the photography is top notch and the character development is so natural, you wouldn't think they were performing. It truly is a gem that is highly recommended.