To me, this movie is perfection.

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

A different way of telling a story

Melissa Leo is a wonderful actress - she has some excellent titles under her belt. Her acting in this is as expected - brilliant and powerful as the single mother trying to build a better life for her two kids and scraping by on a meagre wage. The comes along Misty Upham's character - also a single mother who is facing some challenges in her life. I really loved the fact that they used proper Native American/ First Nation actors and actresses in this movie - kudos to the Director and casting as everyone did a stand up job in their roles. This is Misty (RIP) at her finest. The chemistry between herself and Leo was tense, affecting and hit all the right notes.The scenery and setting - as bleak as their situation. As they struggled to improve their lives they were smuggling people who were struggling to improve their lives and the cycles of struggle for that perfect dream were grinding away. You will certainly not be dissappointed with this excellent indie!

"Frozen River" is an example of what great indie film making is all about.Instead of special effects and outrageous plot twists, we are shown real people caught up in some of the significant issues of life.First let me say that the acting by Melissa Leo, and especially Misty Upham is superb. Both characters grow in stature as the film progresses; what seem to be clichés at the start become powerful archetypes. The direction and cinematography cannot be faulted anywhere. Just well done all the way, without drawing special attention to itself. They let the story take preeminence. "Frozen River" will challenge your way of seeing cultures, borders, and family. It is the type of movie that stays with you. Don't miss it.

When you're in a hole, stop digging, but desperation can drive people to desperate measures, often not in their own best interests. In 'Frozen River', debut director Courtney Hunt's tough-minded story about life beyond the safety net, an impoverished and fiery mother (well-played by Melissa Leo) gets involved in a people-smuggling operation on the U.S.-Candian border. There's a persistent sense of dread, and a total lack of glamour, both convincing, although the story ends on a traditional note of redemption through penance. The characters are not particularly likable, but maybe being likable is a product of having something to spare.

I admit I only watched this because I heard that Melissa Leo (who played Detective Howard in Homicide) had won some sort of recognition for putting in a good performance. It sounded like a good film on that basis and I wasn't disappointed. Frozen River offers a slice of life across the other side of the world (for me), it was appropriate watching it in the middle of a heatwave as others in the northern hemisphere (in certain regions) are experiencing these sorts of conditions at this time of year.It ticks all the right boxes of being interesting the whole way through, being well casted and acted. Detective Howard was more of a peripheral character on Homicide so it was good to see what Leo could do with a lead role. Upham is a good supporting actor and doesn't ruin suspension of disbelief due to crappy acting or anything (same for the child actors).The Native American aspect gives the film a unique flavour so in fact it is appealing from a number of different angles. It's fairly safe to watch with a general audience (no swearing that I can recall), some shots are fired and that's about as extreme as it gets.