Frozen River
by Courtney Hunt
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Charlie McDermott, Mark Boone Junior, Melissa Leo, Michael O'Keefe, Misty UphamDirector: Courtney Hunt
Brand: Sony
Writer: Courtney Hunt
Producer: Alfonso Trinidad
Producer: Charles S. Cohen
Producer: Chip Hourihan
Producer: Craig Shilowich
Producer: Donald Harwood
Producer: Heather Rae
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.78:1
Running Time: 97 minutes
Published: 2009-02-01
DVD Release Date: 2009-02-10
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Frozen River
Movie Review: It Is Not A Wonderful Life
Summary: 5 Stars
A cool chill pervades this film, `Frozen River'. The town of Mesena in upstate New York, on the other side of the St Lawrence River that leads to Canada, has that grey ,wintery feel that you see on the faces of the people trying to keep their families alive. The only entertainment seems to be the Bingo House on the Mohawk Indian Reservation. This is a depressed, tough town, there is no feeling of joy or well being. I was tense throughout this film, and it is tough to shake the feel.
Melissa Leo, plays `Ray' a tough minded woman who accepts her fate and asks for no sympathy. She is a suddenly single mother. Her husband took the funds they had saved for a double wide trailer, gambled it away and left town. He left her with two sons, aged 15 and 5, a part time job at Lucky Dollar and a broken down trailer on the edge of town. Ray spends her time fighting to put food on the table and to keep the debtors out of her hair. Dinner before payday is popcorn and Tang.
But Ray has grit, she meets a young Mohawk woman, Lilly, who talks and then shows her a smuggling deal, driving across the frozen St Lawrence with illegal aliens in the trunk. The land is Indian, and the white man cannot arrest anyone on this land. There is the state police on the highway into town, but they don't stop white women. The overt racism against Indians is quite apparent and real. The money is good, $1200 a run. Too good to pass up and soon Ray and Lilly are on several runs. Money to pay for the large flat screen television, TV dinners,maybe the double wide and presents for Christmas. TJ, Ray's son, wants to leave school and help support them, but Ray is adamant that her children obtain an education. And, besides his job is to care for his brother, Ricky. There is love and respect in this family. Ray's eyes shine with love for her sons, they are,, after all her entire life.
The drive on the frozen St Lawrence is an analogy for the entire film, frightening, tense , wondering if the ice will crack. Two women dealing with brutes who are dangerous and dark. This film elicits the iey cold nights and the fear that resonates with everyone involved. A relationship of sorts develops between Lily and Ray. Both tough women who would do whatever it takes for their children.
Melissa Leo is unknown to most. I remember her clearly from the television series `Homicide: Life On The Streets'. She is a fabulous actress, she becomes the character she portrays. This is her film and she makes it come alive. It is not a wonderful life, but it is a wonderful film.
Highly Recommended. prisrob 02-15-09
Last Summer in the Hamptons
Lullaby
Summary of Frozen River
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