Review: The Frozen River (2008)

2009 March 4

Movie title: Frozen River (2008)
Starring: Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermot, Gargi Shinde, Rajesh Bose
Written and Directed by: Courtney Hunt
Cinematography: Reed Morano

For a while I had been yearning to see a movie which is set in the snowy north. I am thinking of something like the movie with Billy Bob Thornton. (Can't remember the name - something to do with a Plan). So it was only lucky that Melissa Leo got nominated for the best actress award for Frozen River made me check it out from Netflix.

How do people react to temptations ? Well that depends on what your situation is. You could be a person with hard set values but what happens when you are at that point where the time, place and people will nudge you into doing it. Just that one time ! . As we have heard wise people that once you commit a felony you have to keep doing more to save yourself. It become tragic when you are good person except for that felony. This is the central theme running in Frozen River. It is laid out in the form of a story which involves misery, love, humane qualities and having to face consequences.

Melissa plays a single mother with two boys. They live in a mobile home somewhere in Northern New york state. Her husband just walked out on her and she has to pay the mortgage or they will be put out of their home. She is managing these difficulties with a job in a convenience store. Now that her husband has disappeared she goes looking for him and finds his car parked outside an Indian Casino. While she checking for her husband inside an Indian women takes her husband's car away since the keys were in the car. Melissa follows her in her own car. After some arguing with the Indian, the Indian proposes to buy her car. As it turns out this Indian women is an accomplice a gang which smuggles aliens into US from Canada. She offers Melissa 800 bucks if she goes and meets the gang leader. This leads to Melissa's car being used for smuggling 2 Chinese. Melissa does this because of the money. She resolves not to do it again. But she finds valid reasons to do it again and again and again.

If you think how the border security forces did not catch the answer comes from the Indian woman. "They will not stop you. You are white".

This tale continues and gets tenser and tenser. We struggle when Melissa struggles while making that hard choice. There are no melodramatic elements. Instead there is the universal emotion of humane behavior which includes lie, love, greed and helplessness.

Melissa Leo definitely deserved this Oscar nomination for the lead role. There are many close up shots and she has daringly displayed a very measured and subtle performance. The Indian woman is good too. She has some of the best moments in the movie which are very heart felt. But the 2 boys were very good. Especially the older one who is struggling to accept the fact that his father deserted his mother. He has that anger that it was mom's fault. He has displayed good emotions.

The photography, lighting and music are all very good. The director has told the story without letting it slip her control.

I would give this movie a 7.5 out of 10.