Frozen River

Some movies are pure entertainment, requiring the suspension of belief. Others are real, often depressingly so. Frozen River is clearly in the camp of reality, but only dabbles in depressingly real. A glimpse into the poverty of the northeast, into the attitudes whites and native americans have towards each other, into the struggles of a teenage kid who isn't sure about whether he should or should not love his reject dad, and into the daily drama of life are all offered up in a matter of fact, this-is-how-life-is portrayal. Mom needs money for the double-wide she has been promising the kids (dad stole it and gambled it away) and in an effort to support her family, enters the world of human smuggling. I enjoyed the characters showing how hard it is to get by, to do something a little special for each other. I enjoyed that the decisions made were not always about me, or about my family, but instead often showed care for others. In a small way, it begins to break down stereotypes.
4-stars