Frozen River: Grade A

A
Frozen River (2008)
Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott; Writer-director Courtney Hunt.

A single mother (Leo) lives with her two sons in a tin-box trailer in New York, right near the Canadian border and the Mohawk reservation. Her life is the picture of low income desperation. In the darkness of winter she works part-time at a Dollar Store trying to stay ahead of the the Rent to Own company coming to take the TV. She serves the kids popcorn and Tang for dinner. The older son (McDermott) accuses her of driving away her no-good gambler husband. The bleakness of their lives is unmerciful.

Leo meets a Mohawk woman (Upham) who offers to buy her husband’s car if she will accompany her on an errand to get the money. They drive a cross a frozen river into Canada and make several stops where seedy-looking guys take something from the trunk, we presume drugs, and hand over cash. Despite their mutual cultural, racial, and personal distrust, they continue the relationship to keep the money flowing. The job evolves into smuggling immigrants into the U.S. In a masterpiece of writing, the women do finally come to trust each other completely.

Cinematography is outstanding, for the vast emptiness of the river and the claustrophobic interiors. Dialogs are so realistic you never lose sight of the characters. Excellent acting is what makes this movie stand out. It made only $70K on its first weekend, showing on 7 screens, but the word got out and now it makes 2.5 million a week and Melissa Leo was nominated for an Oscar and Upham won best supporting in the American Indian Movie Awards.

Rain in the Mountains: Grade A

A
Rain in the Mountains (2007)
Steve Pierre, Joseph Heldman, Nick Erb, Audrey Seymour. Co-writer and Director Joel Metlan.

I am a sucker for Native American humor; I don’t know why. There is something about it’s quirkiness that becomes positively loopy. I am reminded of 2006’s Expiration Date which was similarly creative. In this charming tale filmed in the Pacific Northwest, an older, unemployed Native American (Pierre) encounters a dead man (Heldman) in the woods, a spirit-character, who tells Pierre “his destiny,” which is to lead his people back to the traditional ways. Pierre immediately takes his son (Erb) out fishing, but it turns out that neither of them knows anything about fishing. There some good slapstick scenes, but what I like is the wry irony in the grand, spiritual-sounding pronouncements of the old Indian who can’t fish. He tries hunting also, even though his only gun is a BB gun and the only prey he can track is his neighbor’s cow. When the power company cuts off his family’s electricity, he knows who the enemy is: electricity itself. He goes on a mission that soon gets him into trouble with the law. Throughout, the humor is completely original and very low key, depending on fine absurdity and subtle irony. The acting is painfully sincere and there is a larger, poignant, metaphorical theme.

Expiration Date: Grade A

A

Expiration Date (2006)

Robert Guthrie, Sascha Knopf, Dee Wallace-Stone. Director, co-writer, co-producer Rick Stevenson.

Charlie Silvercloud III (Guthrie) is a 24 year-old Native American in Seattle, getting his life in order prior to his impending death. How does he know he will die next week? Both his father and grandfather were killed on their 25^th birthdays, run over by milk trucks. It’s a family curse. While shopping for a casket, he meets Bessie (Knopf), who is preparing for her aged mother’s death. Romance ensues, with complications, naturally. The premise of the story is ridiculous but somehow sufficient to sustain suspense as Charlie’s 25^th birthday arrives. Scenes of menacing, lurking milk trucks are hilarious, reminiscent of Spielberg’s 1971 movie, Duel and of Jaws. I’ve been interested in Native American humor for decades but I still cannot grasp how it works (think “John Wayne's teeth” in Smoke Signals). True to form, Expiration Date is full of quirky humor so original and unexpected it had me hooting. At the same time, there is a touching love story. Plus, it is shot in Seattle by somebody who really loves the city. It is thrilling to see the ferry at sunset, the Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, Gasworks Park, lots of coffee shops, and all the rest. Most movies set in Seattle are actually shot in Vancouver, B.C., so this is a rarity. The DVD extras include an irrelevant but totally fascinating Native American hoop dance contest. You will have to search for this indie. See www.expirationdatethemovie.com.