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The film's pivotal scene—set on Christmas Eve, when dreams will either come true or crumble into ruin—threatens to turn this story into a sentimental holiday pageant. But the film has done nothing to raise questions about faith or hope in any higher power, so the dramatic turn seems like just another emotional provocation.

Director Courtney Hunt on set

It's a shame, because Ray and Lila are intriguing, complex personalities, from strikingly different cultures, side-by-side in a fascinating environment. Leo and Upham perform with compelling subtlety. But Hunt has too much on her mind, and she hurries us from one trauma to another. What is this film really about anyway? The burdens of single motherhood? Poverty? Family values? The plight of Mohawks divided by a border? War-on-terror paranoia? Racism?

That's not to say the film is without suspense. The scenes of late-night smuggling are nerve-wracking. When a frozen river provides the centerpiece for a story, everybody knows what's coming—it's only a matter of when. But in spite of this film's admirable strengths, it's a grim and humorless tale that feels like a strain even at 97 minutes. Its bleak, dispiriting aesthetics only make things worse. In spite of a hopeful conclusion, viewers are likely to walk away with several new worry lines etched in their foreheads, and even non-smokers may pat their pockets in search of cigarettes once they get outside.

We need serious-minded movies about family, culture clashes, crime and punishment, and compassion. And we need films that give us three-dimensional characters like Ray and Lila. Independent filmmakers often provide a healthy alternative to those Hollywood confections about beautiful people who find shortcuts to Happily Ever After. But audiences can be just as easily misled by raw, grueling tales set in a world devoid of beauty, joy, humor, and grace. The chill of Frozen River is so unpleasantly relentless that it's likely to leave viewers dispirited, numb, and wondering what to make of it all.

Talk About It

1. Ray and Lila both seem cornered, stuck in impossible situations. How are their situations similar? What is appealing to them about the prospect of smuggling illegal aliens?
2. Is there ever a time when breaking the law is appropriate? Are there concerns, like Leo's family troubles, that are more important?
3. Writer-Director Courtney Hunt says, "I wrote this film after learning about women smugglers at the border of New York state and Canada who drive their cars across the frozen St. Lawrence River to make money to support their kids. The risk involved compelled me to write a story, not only about smuggling at the northern border, but also about what life circumstances would lead someone to take such chances. What I discovered was that a mother's instinct to protect her children is more powerful than any cultural, political or economic boundary line." What does the film reveal about maternal instinct? Are mothers justified in taking desperate measures to take care of their children?
4. If you were in Ray Eddy's situation, would you take the smuggling job? What steps would you take for your family?

The Family Corner

Frozen River is rated R for some language. The film portrays desperate people responding to crisis with profanity, violence, and expressions of racial prejudice. While this is honest and realistic—desperate people do behave desperately—viewers may wonder if all of this ugliness amounts to a meaningful, redemptive story.

Photos © Copyright Sony Pictures Classics

© Jeffrey Overstreet subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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