Sunday, August 31, 2008

FROZEN RIVER




Drama

F.Y.I.
The Mohawk Nation has three communities in upstate New York and the province of Ontario. The Akwesasne Territory is the largest and staddles the St. Lawrence River with sections in both Canada and the United States. The only road between the two sections is the Seaway International Bridge between Cornwall, Ontario and Massena, New York. Crossing the river by boat is the easiest route between the two sections when the river is not frozen.

Specifications of the two most popular types of mobile homes:
Singlewide: from 600 to 1000 sq. ft.  with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom
Doublewide: 1200 to 1700 sq. ft.,  3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms


PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Melissa Leo: Ray Eddy, a dollar-store cashier
Misty Upham: Lila Littlewolf, an employee in the Mohawk bingo parlor
Charlie McDermott: Ray’s 15-year-old son T.J.
James Reilly: T.J.’s 5-year-old brother Ricky
Michael O’Keefe: a NY state trooper

REVIEW
Two things set this movie apart from the others: an uncomplicated story about two people struggling with life’s circumstances and the acting which comes across as completely natural. The extensive use of hand-held cameras gives the viewer a “fly-on-the-wall” perspective and the limited budget keeps things simple and uncluttered. How refreshing.


CLASSIFICATION
for some language. Officially rated R but this has got to be a mistake. I see enough movies (about 120 a year) to know what constitutes an R rating; there is nothing in this movie that warrants that kind of warning.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
When the delivery van pulls into the driveway it stops close to a pile of snow on the driver’s side. When T.J. goes out to speak to the passenger the truck is now six feet removed from the snow pile. After he goes back inside we see that the truck has returned to its original position.

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