Frozen River - A-

On DVD (2008). Rated R, 97 minutes. Trailer.

Desperation leads to bad choices. In Frozen River (winner of the Grand Jury Prize at last year's Sundance), the desperation of a struggling mother and wife leads her to participate in smuggling illegal immigrants across a frozen river in upstate New York and the Mohawk Territory. With a husband that has disappeared to go gambling with the $4000 they had saved to buy their new house (a double wide with good insulation) and two kids to feed and take care of, Ray (Melissa Leo - nominate for Best Actress for the role) takes the only option she can see to get the house and the happiness that comes with it. Click below for more on a dense, bleak film:

Ray's children are 15 and 5, and her relationship with the 15 year old is the best of the film, with the son providing a mirror for Ray and the emotional center of the film. The plot is simple: poor white people, mom looks for dad, mom runs into sweet Mohawk smuggler girl, mom smuggles for money, mom gets caught, interesting ending. Writer/Director Courtney Hunt (nominated for Best Original Screenplay) raises and tackles many themes and interesting issues: impact of poverty, the 'cold' as a metaphor for the difficult circumstances of life, parenting, immigration, morality, differences in tribal and US laws, love and hope. I have thought a lot about the film since watching it Friday night, and I keep uncovering different layers or ideas.

The mother/elder son relationship is just ridiculously well written. The son is vulnerable, tough, needy, reliable, and loving - no cliches allowed - as he expresses his distaste for their living situation he never gets out of line even though many times the viewer favors his side of the argument over his mother's. Hunt has several pretty shots of the area, but overall I wasn't blown away by the direction of the film. Definitely one of the best (and bleakest) of the year. A must see.