Sure, I originally watched 'Frozen River' for the best actress nominee performance of Melissa Leo. I wasn't disappointed, yet. I will be when she unfortunately doesn't take home the Oscar for her outstanding portrayal. But, then again, the Academy Awards participants are generally blind to movies that make under $5 million. And shame on them. Not only will they miss one of the best performances of the year, but they will miss an excellent film, filled with tension, heart and originality. It was sad and so true, seeing the family, and Ray (Leo) suffer when one spouse takes off. I work in credit counseling and take about 20 calls/day and hear these stories. I hear it over the phone and though I don't see what they're going through, I can feel their pain. Here, we see it. Eggs for dinner (again.) One (last minute) Christmas gift. Rent-to-own about-to-be-repossessed. This is a story of a recently single mother, raising a 15 and 5-year-old in a shack, not being able to afford to spend $8 on gasoline. She gets mixed up with an American Indian human-smuggler (wonderfully played by Misty Upham) and does what she can do (though illegally) to provide a double-wide for her children. Leo's performance is so powerful, you would just want to give her the money to pay for the home if you met her. What I thought would be a one-character/actor movie turned out to be a suspenseful, touching, emotional and little indie masterpiece. The sad news is: this fictional story is so very true. If this doesn't turn around any scrooge to help those around them so unfortunate, I seriously don't know what will. Did they plan it that way? Maybe not. But this is what true acting and storytelling displays. Don't miss this excellent film.
Review of Frozen River
