A mother attempting to keep her family fed turns to smuggling illegal immigrants across the border in the drama FROZEN RIVER. Melissa Leo is Ray Eddy, a wife and mother of two, whose gambling addict husband has left his family with next to nothing. Ray is having a hard time making ends meet working at the local discount store, until she runs into Lila, played by Misty Upham. Lila knows of a route, a frozen river that stretches from upstate New York to Quebec where illegal immigrants can be transported with little hassle. Each trip Lila and Ray complete brings 24-hundred dollars into their pocket. Ray plans on spending her earnings on a new home for her family.
FROZEN RIVER is one of the more realistic, and more importantly, honest looks at economic hardship and the desperate steps taken to escape such a plight. Writer-director Courtney Hunt not only captures the day-to-day depression of Ray and her kids, but also glimpses into the life of a single, Native American mother who longs for the custody of her child. Both Ray and Lila are not your typical movie moms. Although sympathetic at times, both moms have undeniable flaws that lead to their lives of illegality. Ray may be a loving mother, but her hierarchy of needs requires some adjusting when renting a television ranks higher than a healthy dinner for the family. Lila is a strong-willed woman, one strong enough to steal a car and connive another desperate mother, but not forceful enough to reclaim her son from the clutches of her mother-in-law. These characteristics help to humanize these broken women into real people. At times maddening, but never so much to distance these women from the viewer. Hunt also does a wonderful job capturing the mystique and desolate nature of the cold Northeast. Her eye for atmosphere delivers an appropriate backdrop for the distant, solemn and cold fates that await both Ray and Lila. FROZEN RIVER delivers an authentic slice of Americana, both good and bad.
No comments:
Post a Comment