Frozen River (R)
I admit I approached Courtney Hunt’s debut feature, Frozen River, with something close to zero interest. No matter how well done or well intended, the story of desperate mothers smuggling illegal aliens across the frozen river of the title to better the lives of their families just didn’t have any immediate appeal to me. I was surprised to find the film considerably more involving than its premise suggested.
Even so, this is one of those worthy movies that’s a lot easier to admire than like. For a movie that wants to offer a slice of life, the story line is nothing but brazen melodrama of the “who’ll pay the rent?” school that was all the rage in about 1870.
Melissa Leo stars as Ray, a singularly bedraggled mother of two boys. Ray’s never-seen gambling-addict husband has vanished (presumably to Atlantic City) with the balloon payment for the family’s new double-wide dream home. Possible salvation appears when Ray hooks up with a Mohawk woman (Misty Upham) in the smuggling business. It’s all pretty grim and drab, but Leo’s performance makes it worth a look. —Ken Hanke
Last day to the Frozen River at the Terrace Theatre is Thursday.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.
