Movie Review: Frozen River

By Justin Velasquez
October 12, 2008

With the nation's economy taking a turn for the worse, along comes film that speaks to anyone who is or has been in a major financial bind.  Frozen River is a harrowing tale of two women trying desperately to make ends meet in these trying times. 

In Courtney Hunt's directorial debut, Frozen centers upon two primary characters - Ray (Melissa Leo) and Lila (Misty Upham).  Ray is a trailer-home mother of two children who has recently run into a huge financial obstacle.  Her husband took off with money that was meant to buy a new double-wide.  In his absence the burden falls upon Ray to make ends meet.  She works part-time at the Yankee Dollar and with two other mouths to feed, the hours she pulls just don't cut it.  Lila also has money problems.  She's a mother as well but her child was "stolen" by her mother-in-law.  She lives alone in a trailer on the Mohawk reservation, dreaming of making enough cash to reclaim her infant son.  Their paths cross when Ray finds Lila driving the same Dodge Spirit that her husband took off with. 

Ray follows Lila to reclaim her property.  After the initial confrontation, Lila, hearing of Ray's light wallet, tells her that she knows someone who will buy the car in cash.  As they drive to the site Lila's ruse lures Ray into the illegal world of immigrant smuggling.  Ray is initially apprehensive but her reluctance changes when she sees how well it pays.  The danger, obviously, lies in getting caught but also lies in the fact that the route they take across the U.S.-Canadian border is through the frozen St. Lawrence River.  In spite of the many dangers both see this as a means to an end and push the job to its limits.

Shot on a shoestring budget and in freezing conditions, Frozen River is an incredible film.  Beyond the storyline are the similarities between two women who, at first glance, seem to be polar opposites.  Ray is a wife and a mother who is simply in a tough situation.  Lila, on the other hand, is a known criminal - a smuggler who doesn't have a car because the tribal council is smart enough to not allow her one.  Both women work menial jobs that would leave a single person in poverty.  Ray's desperation convinces her to drive across the St. Lawrence while Lila's refusal to see any other course of action to get her son back is the basis for their makeshift partnership.  The will and desire both women display, albeit subtly, in order to better their dire situations is what drew me into the film more and more. 

Most impressive is the film's conclusion - that one last run that can put them over the top.  The job obviously goes awry and both women find themselves surrounded by the law on both sides of the border.  Ray and Lila, at first at odds with each other, display a humanity that symbolizes the subtle symmetry of their partnership. 

Other than the film's slow pace, Frozen River is a fine film - possibly one of the best of the year.   Many of the actors are not seasoned Hollywood actors, but you wouldn't know it watching them perform.  Considering the light budget the production values are substandard but it works in the film's favor since it's so story-driven.  Courtney Hunt directed from her own script and earlier this year won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.  It's well deserved and hopefully Frozen River will find a wider audience...

êêêê
Four Stars out of Four