Frozen River (2008)

Ankle-Deep Waters Of Storytelling

Until a short while ago, I had been trying my hand in writing short stories and novellas. During all my seemingly-endless efforts to create, I was lucky enough to have a wonderful woman as both by mentor and my tutor, who called me -much to my embarrassment- her 'fellow writer'. She was a professional writer, she had novels which I had read and admired. When I asked her to sign them for me, that's what she wrote: "To my fellow writer, whose works I tremendously enjoy".

She was a real intellectual; doing justice to the word which is frequently thrown around nowadays. Due to her father's job as a diplomat, she had constantly traveled and seen a lot. Aside from writing, she had worked as a translator, consular assistant, pianist and church organist. She had the incredible ability to look through what you had written and instantly know whatever was wrong with it. But more important than all that, she was always constructive in her criticism; she would never be condescending towards a newbie writer and never kill the enthusiasm he had for writing; all the while managing to make him understand, one by one, what she thought was significantly wrong with the 'work' she was given. I cannot even begin to imagine how many precious future writers she has been (and still is) contributing to artistically.

If I had written Frozen River's screenplay as a short story and shown it to her for feedback, I'm sure even she would've laughed in my face.

Courtney Hunt's directorial debut stirred much attention this year as an innovative independent film about universal nature of family ties (those between the mother and the children anyway). It's a film about a woman (Ray) with serious monetary problems who, in order to make her ends meet, starts smuggling people from Canada to U.S. using a river on the border which freezes during winter. Her accomplice is a Mohawk woman (Lila) who is too blind to count money but can see car tracks on the snow at night time without her glasses. Both sides of the river belong to a certain Mohawk territory so what they are doing is not illegal, Lila explains; but we as the audience, along with Ray, have doubts as to how much that explanation would suffice once faced with a border patrol.

Courtney uses a realist visuality which presumably should give the film a more stark and intense look, but in fact is absolutely amateur at best. I will go as far as to say that Frozen River is a living proof that not everybody can make films. Call me elitist, call me conservative, call me whatever you want but there is no way for anyone to claim that this is actually a good movie without confusing subtlety with mediocrity.

It's a family drama where the little boy wants Santa to bring him their house as a Christmas gift, which they are about to lose due to economical difficulties. The elder brother holds on for dear life to the blowtorch that his dad gave him because..., well, you know... he misses him so much and stuff. During the smuggling operation, border patrol will not search Ray's car, proclaims Lisa. "Why?" you might ask naively. Because she's white of course! Frozen River is like the combined personification of all the cliches that are out there to be used. It's the kind of story that I would be ashamed to have my name attached to, even if I had written it for a high school writing exercise.

On top everything, why they would advertise the film as a "gripping thriller" in the trailers, is beyond me.

3/10

Note: This article is a part of the 2008 awards season review series which will be the primary feature of The Long Take until the Oscar Night. The information below will be updated as listed awards are handed out and more nominations are announced.

Nominated For:

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Melissa Leo) - Academy Awards
  
• Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Courtney Hunt) - Academy Awards

• Best Actress (Melissa Leo) - Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
  
• Most Promising Filmmaker (Courtney Hunt) - Chicago Film Association Awards

• Best Director (Courtney Hunt) - Independent Spirit Awards
  
• Best Feature - Independent Spirit Awards
  
• Best Female Lead (Melissa Leo) - Independent Spirit Awards
  
• Best First Screenplay (Courtney Hunt) - Independent Spirit Awards
  
• Best Supporting Female (Misty Upham) - Independent Spirit Awards
  
• Best Supporting Male (Charlie McDermott) - Independent Spirit Awards

• Golden Seashell (Courtney Hunt) - San Sebastian International Film Festival

• Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role (Melissa Leo) - Screen Actors Guild Awards
  

Won:

• Best Directorial Debut (Courtney Hunt) - National Board of Review
  
• Spotlight Award (Melissa Leo) - National Board of Review

• Best First Film (Courtney Hunt) - New York Critics Circle Awards

• SIGNIS Award (Courtney Hunt) - San Sebastian International Film Festival
  
• Silver Seashell, Best Actress (Melissa Leo) - San Sebastian International Film Festival
  
• TVE Otra Mirada Award (Courtney Hunt) - San Sebastian International Film Festival

• Bronze Horse, Best Film (Courtney Hunt) - Stockholm Film Festival

• Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic (Courtney Hunt) - Sundance Film Festival

• Best Actress (Melissa Leo) - Florida Film Critics Circle Awards