I had heard that this film was something of a runaway hit at Cannes last year. After seeing it, I can see why. 'Frozen River' is a grim little tale of a middle aged woman (Melissa Leo)who's good for nothing, substance abusing,gambler husband has left her & their two sons for points unknown (only after usurping all of the money from the bank--and this,just a week before Christmas). Rae (Leo)has to earn some money soon, or lose their trailer home. She resorts to smuggling illegal aliens (with the assistance of an Indian woman who dislikes whites)over the boarder,from Canada to the U.S., via the local Indian reservation. Toss in elements of a cynical teen aged son,and other similar elements,and you have yourself a powerful piece of drama that although somewhat bleak,manages to draw you in to the plight of people who want to fit in, but are never the less, not excepted,due to racial issues. Well worth seeking out. The film has been slapped an R-rating by the MPAA, due to some course language.

On the border between NY and Quebec near the Mohawk reservation, Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo) is a clerk at the discount store. Her gambling husband had taken off with the money for their mobile home. She's struggling to raise her kids Troy (Charlie McDermott) and Ricky. She finds Lila Littlewolf (Misty Upham) driving her husband's car. Lila had found the car abandoned at the bus station. Lila gets Ray into illegal human smuggling from Canada to America. They fight at first but a desperate Ray needs the money more.

The desperation in these two lives are palpable. Melissa Leo is amazing. Her character is not over-written. She's not good or evil. She's just real. The cold desolate landscape fits perfectly with their desolate lives. It's impressive work from new filmmaker Courtney Hunt.

Melissa Leo first came to my attention when I saw "The Fighter". She won an Academy Award for her role as the hardened mother, the type who makes you feel as if you're walking on eggshells (she let slip a curse word during her acceptance speech).

Two years earlier Leo had played a lead role in "Frozen River". She plays Ray, a woman working a minimum wage job and living in a double-wide mobile home. When her husband disappears with the family's money, Ray joins up with Lila (Misty Upham),a Mohawk woman, and they start transporting illegal immigrants across the US-Canada border.

Almost every scene in this movie tenses the viewer up. Whether it's the claustrophobic settings or the risks of something happening during the transports, the movie pulls no punches in its focus on the marginalized sectors of society. The snow and ice emphasize the desperation that drives these women to start breaking the law. I recommend it, as I do every movie in which I've seen Melissa Leo. Too bad about Misty Upham's untimely death in 2014.