Frozen Solid

The St. Lawrence River on the Canadian border is the bleak setting for Frozen River, the critically acclaimed debut film of director Courtney Hunt. The multiple award-winning film — including Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize - goes deep into the lives of two single mothers. They’re in dire need of cash and seem to have few options: One is a lowly-regarded Mohawk woman from the reservation, desperate to get her infant son back from her mother-in-law. The other is a trailer park mom whose husband deserted her after gambling away their meager savings … two days before Christmas. Together, they form an uneasy partnership to illegally smuggle people across the iced-over river in the trunk of a decrepit Dodge Spirit. Hunt’s gritty storytelling builds a tension-filled thriller that comments on society’s brutal inequities, while tenderly probing the complexities of human relationships. The achingly honest performances from Melissa Leo and Misty Upham have critics raving. The film is running in the Stonzek at Lake Worth Playhouse (713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth). Tickets cost $6 for today’s 1:30 p.m. showing. Call 561-296-9382, or visit Lakeworthplayhouse.org.
Oct. 31-Nov. 7, 2008