Frozen River (review)
The stories of women are so disparaged — or worse, ignored — in our culture unless they have something to do with pleasing men, but here’s one that demands to be seen. The first feature from writer-director Courtney Hunt — and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance, among other festival awards — this is a frank and unrefined tale of women doing what it takes to survive, particularly when dominant, male-centered cultures have abandoned them. Two days before Christmas, Ray Eddy (the extraordinary Melissa Leo, who first made us take notice of her on Homicide: Life on the Street) finds herself coping with the sudden absence of her gambler husband, who has absconded with the money she’s been carefully hoarding to upgrade her little family — which includes her sons, 5 and 15 — to a double-wide trailer. When she encounters Mohawk Native Lila Littlewolf (Misty Upham, also riveting) — who’s been deserted, in a way, by her husband, too, and then afterward by Mohawk values that esteem sons over daughters — the two fall into a moneymaking scheme to ferry illegal immigrants by car across the deep-frozen St. Lawrence River that creates the U.S./Canadian border in northern New York State. Fascinating is how Hunt’s story straddles moralities, gender motivations, and ideas of poverty and despair in such a way that you’re not sure, by the end, what’s “right” and what isn’t.
watch at home
US/Can release: Aug 01 2008
UK/Ire release: Jul 17 2009
MPAA: rated R for some language
BBFC: rated 15 (contains strong language and moderate threat and violence)
viewed at a public multiplex screening
official site | IMDb
more reviews: Movie Review Query Engine | Rotten Tomatoes
If you’re tempted to post a comment that resembles anything on the film review comment bingo card, please reconsider.
login with Patreon
become a patron
please help keep truly independent film criticism alive!
Pledge your support now.
(If you prefer to make a one-time donation, you can PayPal me. But you’ll miss out on the Patreon bonuses.)
FlickFilosopher.com does not accept guest posts, link placements, or sponsored content.
what I’m reading
what I’ve written
shop to support
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
FlickFilosopher.com does not accept guest posts, link placements, or sponsored content.
