Independent film set during the bleak wintertime in the Mississippi Delta. It was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Film and won Best Director and Best Cinematography Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival. All three actors playing the main characters made their acting debut right here and only one of them has acted since. The film starts off slow with choppy editing and takes a while until all the pieces come together. Direction is stark, there's no background music or score at all. It's a struggle for these people trying to survive poverty and drugs and being a single mom in a world with very little hope for a better future. Nothing new in that tale. There's a true sense of tragic realism here which doesn't help the story so much. The characters never rise above and give us something truly interesting or hopeful. It's almost like watching a depressing documentary with no rainbow at the end. Rainbow not needed, of course. What sets this apart then, if anything? Location and the basic simpleness of it all. There's no wow, just life portrayed honestly. That's not enough, perhaps, for all viewers, but engaging enough for others.
7.4 / 10 stars
--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener
7.4 / 10 stars
--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener