Frozen River

August 2008

(9)

Synopsis

"Frozen River" is a dramatic feature film which takes place in the days before Christmas near a little-known border crossing on the Mohawk reservation between New York State and Quebec. Here, the lure of fast money from smuggling presents a daily challenge to single moms who would otherwise be earning minimum wage. Two women -one white, one Mohawk, both single mothers faced with desperate circumstances- are drawn into the world of border smuggling across the frozen water of the St. Lawrence River. Melissa Leo (21 Grams, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, television's "Homicide: Life on the Street") plays Ray, Misty Upham (Edge of America, DreamKeeper, Skins) plays Lila, and Oscar nominee Michael O'Keefe (The Great Santini, Caddyshack, Ironweed) plays the New York State Trooper who ultimately brings the two to justice. 2008 Frozen River, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Reviews

4.0

9 total

5 4

4 3

3 1

2 0

1 1

David Jenkins

Occasionally marred by contrivance and a crude internal logic that doesn't bear close scrutiny, 'Frozen River' works best as a knuckle-gnawing, blue-collar genre thriller.

Mark Bourne

Frozen River let me forget I was watching a movie, something that didn't happen often in 2008.

Rene Rodriguez

There are moments of poetry on display.

Amy Biancolli

It moves and it heals, finding hints of redemption in the jagged face of life.

Stephen Cole

The miracle of filmmaker Courtney Hunt's tense, carefully understated debut is that it is made better by its few flights of fancy.

Tom Long

Frozen River isn't just a good movie made by a woman; it's a good movie on anyone's terms, one of the year's best. To find hope beneath this ice, in this ugly terrain, is to dream big.

Cast and credits

Actors	Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott
Director	Courtney Hunt
Writers	Courtney Hunt

Additional information

Rotten tomatoes® score

87%

Audio language

English (Stereo)

Subtitles

English

Run time

96 minutes

Rating

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