Frozen River [Blu-ray]

Not only does a frozen river play the title role, but the title also is symbolic of the lives of the people who live in this harsh, unforgiving, economically crushed little town where Bingo is the only place to maybe win a few bucks. These people, just like the Frozen River, are stuck fast without hope of fluid movement. They can't move forward. Like frozen water, they are where they are unable to thaw their lives even just a bit to move forward. Stuck. There are no opportunities for gainful employment.In order to feed and provide for her children, Ray, whose husband ran off with the down payment for a new mobile home, finally resorts to helping a young Mohawk tribal woman smuggle illegals across the Frozen River in the trunk of her car. Ray is not a criminal, however, her children are reduced to eating popcorn and Tang. What's a mom to do? She's going to do whatever she has to do, which is what Ray finally swallows hard and realizes that smuggling is her only way out.The script is very well written, the director and the entire cast do a superb and very convincing job of bringing the script to life. The tension begins right from the opening scene and continues to build throughout the rest of the movie. The only relief comes right at the end of the last scene. The tension is relentless, just as hopelessness in this small town is relentless.When I was a young kid, sometimes the only thing in the house to eat was ketchup. We kids almost always went to bed hungry. Our only reliable meal was lunch at school because we all qualified for lunch cards. I saw the desperation in my parent's eyes, heard it in their voices, saw it in their actions. My big, strapping daddy welding at night and selling Fuller Brush by day. He hated selling, but he hated the hungry cries of his children even more. There was no welfare or food stamp programs back then. Just like Ray, my parents had to do what they had to do. I won't go into particulars, but for me, this movie was an 8 millimeter re-run.This movie is real life. Millions of people live this life everyday. For several years, I lived it when I was a young girl. At the age of 9, I vowed this would not be my life as an adult.You'll enjoy this movie because the actors don't 'act' but they immerse themselves in the deep emotions that people who do live this life feel. It translates off the screen and hits you plumb in your heart. You'll be on the edge of your seat and holding your breath the whole time, right up to Ray's 'one last time'.

Perfect condition as stated. Prompt and perfect, need I say more, I think not.

A great indie movie for the discriminating film fan's collection. It wasn't a box-office smash, but it deserves the successful afterlife of the classic on DVD because it stays with you long after it's over. To me, low budget does not translate into less worthy; in fact, it can mean much more, like loaded with the truth and integrity that the gimmicky blockbusters rarely produce. So it is with Frozen River.Melissa Leo is simply great as Ray, a trailer-park denizen and deserted mother of two trying to improve her impoverished circumstances by moonlighting as a smuggler of illegal immigrants traveling via Canada into the U.S. The perilous route forms in winter, when the St. Lawrence River becomes icebound where it bisects the trans-border Mohawk reservation near Massena NY. Just for her first extreme closeup alone -- a lingering upward pan that reveals a tense, chain-smoking, old-too-soon woman wondering how she'll get through today -- Ms. Leo should have been given the Oscar. (She was nominated for Best Lead Performance.) There are no visible "uglifying" makeup tricks or prosthetics; every pore and wrinkle on Leo's 40-something face and body is there to see. Thus, we also see Ray's badly bruised heart cowering behind her street-smart exterior and gritty determination: all of which refuse to let her give up, give out or give in. Ray has a dream -- to move her family up into a brand-new doublewide -- and she's going to make it happen, no matter what.It's the film's realism that makes it so memorable. Having visited the upper St. Lawrence region regularly in my youth, I can vouch for the area's awesome natural beauty, sub-zero winters, widespread poverty (no doubt exacerbated by recent paper mill and Alcoa plant closures), underground economy and subtle racism that appears in this movie. Whether by limited budget or ingenious design, the producers, writer and director of Frozen River have mixed these important story elements in with great on-location settings and some telling cinematic detail. This includes the team's choices for the supporting roles, most of which went to local actors and non-professionals. All these factors help reveal the hardscrabble lives lead by Ray and her reluctant smuggling partner, Lila (the remarkable Misty Upham, who gained 30 pounds and cut her hair to play the taciturn widowed Mohawk mother), and why they would choose such a dangerous occupation to escape from them. Just goes to show why Hollywood movies made by committee rarely get this kind of film right.Technically, the DVD's sole embellishment features an above-average commentary by writer-director Courtney Hunt and co-producer Heather Ray. Unlike (too) many rambling or self-promoting star turns on such tracks, their dialogue is self-effacing, targeted, full of interesting detail and revealing of how indie films like this get made. Thank God, they do.

I am of some native descent and I like any stories that include native actors. Sadly the main native character has died in real life but she played a good role in this movie. I bought the movie so that I could watch it over and over again at my leisure.

I rarely write reviews for films, but this movie was powerful enough that I wanted to add to the 5 star ratings. The plot has been covered in enough of the other reviews. Brilliant acting, excellent direction, and a slow burn tension almost from the start that lasts throughout the movie.I found myself rooting for the two main protagonists, but also hoping there wouldn't be a fairytale happy ending. Thankfully the movie resolves itself in a very believable way, and it is an hour and a half well spent.

For two years, a woman has a part-time job and wanted a full time job to raise her two sons. It never happened. She's looking for her husband to save her house. He's native Indian, who's is drunk. She met a girl to smuggle illegal immigrants...

two strong women overcome loss of partners, economic hardship, and societal limitations to manifest their dignity and win for themselves and their kids; believable, inspiration characters well acted to the extent that it didn't even seem like a movie; the storyline is full of tension and conflict of various kinds and degrees; the cinematography captures a bleak landscape that is perfect for a bleak tale; soundtrack supports the mood; a really great movie

A story of the lengths to which people in poverty will go to try to improve their lot, this film is perfectly cast with actors who are spot on for the parts. I wonder how the production team found them - or were the parts written especially for them? I should research that! Portrayed utterly without glamour, the cramped family home, the kids left home whilst their mother tried to earn enough to improve their lot, the dodgy cars, the longings and frustrations and dangers are all to be found in this film. And the frozen river itself! If ever a location provided nail biting tension, this was it! Then, best of all since we are so on their side, the characters and their unlikely new friend from the reservation are rewarded with a happy ending. Great stuff!.

I think it's much harder to review movies than cookbooks because movies are much more subjective in their purpose... I chose this movie after listening to an interview with Melissa Leo on NPR Fresh Air (podcast/US national public radio program), following the release of The Fighter.Frozen River is a small production movie about a woman who finds herself in a difficult financial situation and resorts to people smuggling to help make ends meet.I liked the movie for the character development and the treatment of the issues and differences each protagonist dealt with.I thought the ending was appropriate and balanced, even if in hind thought, perhaps to be expected.I would watch it again.The actresses performances are very good, and Leo deserved the attention she received for this film.

Gripping film, with very engaging characters. The relationship between the two main characters is well crafted and both actors are superb.The bleak setting is perfect and really adds to the ambience of the film. The undercurrent tensions of multi-cultural communities are brilliantly, yet subtly illustrated.Really engaging film.

This is a great film. I bought it on the basis of the reviews as many reviewers on Amazon provide a useful guide as to quality in my view. Some are mad mind so use your loaf. Anyway, brilliant acting, great locations, gritty and in some respects a touch depressing. Worth a watch.

Bought this for a present. The owner liked it. A bleak tale,I thought, amateurish acting by some.Not my cup of tea.