Frozen River - Movie Review

Melissa Leo, the lead actress in Frozen River was nominated for an Academy Award so we had this movie on our list since then. We'd rented it when we'd rented Rachel Getting Married but never got around to it. Too bad. Frozen River turns out to be superior choice of the two. Far superior.

Bleak and unyielding in its look at hardscrabble lives, Leo gives an unsentimental performance of a woman down on her luck with two kids to look after. The choices Leo's character makes are tough but she takes what comes her way with a streak of decency still at the core of her actions. She's not in it for the long haul; she wants only what she needs for her and her kids but when it comes time to make that final, hard choice, she makes it for bigger reasons that just her and her immediate family. The supporting cast are all good, with honest, open performances. Not as much of a downer as I may be describing but definitely satisfying.