Argo Online

By Mayukh Sen

Each year in the world of film, there’s always that one ‘independent-film-that-could’—that is, there’s one unsuspecting movie that snags some serious accolades during awards season.  It happened with Boys Don’t Cry nearly ten years ago; it happened with Whale Rider in 2002; it happened with Maria, Full of Grace in 2004; and, now, it has happened again with Frozen River.  All of the aforementioned films’ leading actresses received nominations for Best Actress at the Academy Awards.  In the case of the first three, these actresses were quite deserving of such honors.  After all, each film was marked by a tactful, careful attention to detail that’s rarely seen in most independent films today.
That said, Courtney Hunt’s Frozen River seems to be a departure from this trend, for it’s hardly as well-made.  Hunt, both the director and the screenwriter for the film, received a Best Original Screenplay nod at the 2008 Oscars; in addition, Melissa Leo, a character actress who has long been overlooked for her more subtle roles, was nominated for Best Actress.  Frozen River chronicles the story of a destitute single mother, Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo), who, out of desperation, turns to the dangerous business of smuggling illegal immigrants across the US-Canada border.  She’s coerced into this business by a Mohawk Native American woman (played quite blandly by Misty Upham), who’s also a mother.  Upon meeting this woman, Leo’s character makes her not-so-restrained racist thoughts toward this woman quite clear; they continue to view each other with relative antipathy.  Over the course of the movie, though, the viewer sees these two characters – who, at first, seem so distant and disparate – discover the one thing that ties them together: motherhood.  Hunt carries this theme of love that’s so inherent to mothers throughout the whole movie.
Though Frozen River is full of very compelling, utterly human themes – those of struggle, of maternal instinct, of desperation – these themes are eclipsed by the film’s amateurish feel.  Many critics lauded director Hunt for creating a very believable, relatable story; I, however, remained unconvinced – mainly due to the unaffected and dull performances of most of the cast.  The film’s characters seem overwhelmed by intense misery and struggle; such emotions, then, call for skillful and convincing acting.  Apart from Leo’s affected, quiet-yet-powerful performance, the actors of the film come off as inexpressive and vacant.  Although I’d hardly call her performance Oscar-worthy (Kristin Scott Thomas deserved a nod for her brilliant turn in I’ve Loved You So Long), Leo is the only power behind this otherwise stolid, uninspiring film.  The movie presents a story that I, as the viewer, wanted to believe – I wanted to empathize with Leo’s character, and I wanted to believe her desperation.  The slightly unrefined, amateur feel of the movie has assured me – this is one little-indie-film-that-couldn’t.