Well-crafted drama offers thrills in ‘Frozen River'

Published: September 19, 2008

The independent film "Frozen River” offers the emotional resonance of a finely crafted drama, the bristling tension of a perfectly paced thriller, and Melissa Leo's effortlessly Oscar-worthy performance in her first lead role.

The feature-film debut from writer-director Courtney Hunt takes on issues such as poverty, racism and sexism without the smug tone and contrived storylines of so many "issue” movies. "Frozen River” instead tells a deeply affecting story.

Leo ("21 Grams,” TV's "Homicide: Life on the Streets”), an underrated, longtime actress, fully embodies Ray, a flinty, world-weary resident of frozen upstate New York. As the film opens, her gambling-addicted spouse again has abandoned Ray and their two sons, rebellious teenager T.J. (Charlie McDermott) and 5-year-old Ricky (James Reilly), for the casinos.

To make matters worse, this time he took the nest egg Ray carefully scraped together for a new double-wide trailer that was supposed to be the family's Christmas gift.

If she doesn't gather $4,000 by the end of the week, Ray will lose the trailer and her deposit. But she has no hope of making that kind of money as a part-time cashier at the dollar store.

With no money and nothing but Tang and microwave popcorn in the cupboard, Ray tries to clean up the mess her husband has made, starting by tracking down his car.

She spots the battered Dodge Spirit at the local bingo parlor just as someone drives off with it. Ray pursues the thief onto Mohawk Indian land and brandishes a gun to get the keys back.

The thief is Lila Lila Littlewolf (Misty Upham), a sullen, stony-faced Mohawk woman who took the car for its push-button trunk.

Lila uses such cars to smuggle illegal immigrants over the frozen St. Lawrence River and across the part of the U.S.-Canadian border running through the Mohawk reservation. It's a lucrative business, and Lila, who lost her husband to tragedy, needs money to get her infant son back from her controlling in-laws.

Both desperate but determined, Ray and Lila form an uneasy partnership. As they make their runs, the suspense starts to build. Will the watchful state trooper (Michael O'Keefe) catch them? Will the ice-coated river hold? Does the Middle Eastern couple's duffel bag hold a tool of terrorism or something less sinister?

Set against the stark backdrop of Plattsburgh, N.Y., "Frozen River” delivers a harrowing journey with just enough hope under the surface to make it a memorable ride.

— Brandy McDonnell

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