Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Life is hard for a pimp. It is also hard for a poor mother (Tarra Riggs) to deal with after the suicide of her husband.The twin/brother-in-law (Micheal J. Smith Sr.) is so depressed that he might just follow his brother, and her youngest (JimMyron Ross ) is heading in the wrong direction. They have a lot to deal with, and the film is about real people and how they deal with life and it's problems and setbacks.The bleak cinematography really fits this film, as does the lack of a score. There is nothing to dance about, so why have music.The inexperienced actors really shine, and writer/director Lance Hammer has much to be proud of in his first film.Truly one of the best films of 2008.

If I want to spend a few hours out of my day to get to a cinema and spend my money to watch a film, any film, then I want it to be worthwhile. Believe me, Ballast I would have paid for twice, it's that good. And I'll be buying the DVD too.During the Glasgow Film Festival this year, this (to us) obscure, indie film played at a multiplex and my husband - who actually met the director at the London Film Festival - urged me to see it. Why? Because I'm also a filmmaker, so I share with the director, Lance, the desire to eschew the commercial imperative when it comes to telling straight stories.Lance, if you read this - I adored this film. It's everything - flaws and all - that I want to see on screen. The integrity of the cast, no matter where you found them, the screen craft - the photography, script, design, sound, edit, costume, makeup - or judicious lack of - all fell into place. It's what they say about making films - so many get made, but so seldom do the planets align to make a beautiful one. This to me is the bomb. I love it.I wish you every success in your future projects.May Miles Thomas, Elemental Films, UK

The idea for the film was interesting and had a lot of potential, however, I thought it was lacking in many ways. The acting was very good, especially for actors who were not professionally trained and the shots were very interesting. However, the plot didn't seem to build or develop and frankly, I got bored. The end really came out of nowhere and certainly did not bring resolution to the story. I left the theatre feeling dissatisfied. The concept of having no written music was interesting, however the sound effects used sometimes overpowered the speaking and I wasn't always able to understand the actors.Personally, I wouldn't recommend it to a friend, however, it looks like I am alone in this, as it is getting very good reviews!

This is very much a modern American drama. Though issues such as drugs, gangs, broken family relations, violent poorly managed schools, unemployment, and financial breakdowns play a role in steering the lives of the principal characters, the primary emotion is sorrow. The suicide of a twin brother is the trigger that brings three characters -- the brother of the victim, the ex-wife and son -- to clash.Given the fine performances of the three principals and the supporting cast, it is hard to believe that those roles are played by non-professionals. The director picked them from the local population, deep in the Mississippi Delta. Certainly there is talent here, the woman especially. But credit is due to the director who expertly calibrated the acting, mixing the right doses of melancholy, anger and disappointment. The same can be said of the environment. The wintry landscape with its scattered naked trees, resting agricultural land, and gray skies add to a sense of continual sadness.Thankfully the director spared us from a musical track. The sounds are natural. The light as much. The plot linear. The Dogma rulebook applied.The end is abrupt. The beginning is almost as abrupt. The past can be guessed. The future is an open question as it carries conflicting emotions. How you choose to continue the story in your mind depends on whether you are an optimist or a pessimist.