I caught a screening of Frozen River tonight at the ArcLight Hollywood. I saw this when it originally came out last August. Tonight it was screened as part of an AFI series with this year's Oscar nominees. As I'm sure I've said in past posts, the ArcLight doubles as the home base for the American Film Institute in addition to being a first-run theater. As for the Oscar nominees from Frozen River, you've got Best Actress for Melissa Leo and Best Original Screenplay for Courtney Hunt, who also directed. Besides the fact that this is a very well-made film, if a bit on the bleak side, the appeal for seeing it again was that Melissa Leo was there in person following the film for a Q&A. Joining her was Misty Upham, who plays Lila, the main supporting character.
Do you know who Melissa Leo is? She first appeared on my radar back in 2003 as the wife of Benicio del Toro in 21 Grams. It was a small role, but she definitely held her own. Since then I've caught her now and again in roles just as small if not smaller, including all of one scene in last year's Righteous Kill. If you haven't seen that, that's perfectly all right. Now if you're a fan of those police procedurals on TV, then it's possible you've known of Melissa for a good lo
ng while. She was a regular on Homicide: Life on the Street for four years or so back in the nineties. I read an article in the L.A. Times last August when Frozen River came out, and the subject of her leaving the show came up at one point. Apparently her departure was neither her choice nor the producers'. The network wasn't crazy about her because she wasn't big on wearing makeup. From what I understand, her character was a gritty Baltimore cop and, well, why in heck would you want such a person to look too dolled up? She said in the article she still gets people who stop her and tell her they're sorry she was sacked from the show. From the movies I've seen her in and now that I've seen her in person, I'm surprised she doesn't get more cop roles. Melissa is definitely one tough no-nonsense gal.
ng while. She was a regular on Homicide: Life on the Street for four years or so back in the nineties. I read an article in the L.A. Times last August when Frozen River came out, and the subject of her leaving the show came up at one point. Apparently her departure was neither her choice nor the producers'. The network wasn't crazy about her because she wasn't big on wearing makeup. From what I understand, her character was a gritty Baltimore cop and, well, why in heck would you want such a person to look too dolled up? She said in the article she still gets people who stop her and tell her they're sorry she was sacked from the show. From the movies I've seen her in and now that I've seen her in person, I'm surprised she doesn't get more cop roles. Melissa is definitely one tough no-nonsense gal.As for Frozen River, it takes place in a town called Massena during the days leading up to Christmas. Massena is way up in northern New York State, literally a stone's throw from Canada. Melissa plays Ray Eddy. When the film starts, her gambling addict hubby has just left her and the two boys to go feed his addiction in Atlantic City. At first she deludes herself into thinking he'll come back, but reality sets in soon enough. She has to tough it out on her own. What's more, how is she going to pay for the new trailer home she ordered? She did have the money, but her man took it with him. If she doesn't have the down payment soon, the deal's off. It's kind of tough to see how she's going to do that with her cashier gig at Yankee Dollar.
Soon into the flick she comes across her hubby's car parked at the trailer of another single mom named Lila. A Mohawk who lives on the Akwesasne Reservation, Lila's got her own predicame
nt. She has a baby, but her mother- and sister-in-law have stolen it. When she found Ray's hubby's car abandoned in a parking lot, she took it for herself. As for her own husband, he drowned while trying to drive across the frozen St. Lawrence River separating Massena from Quebec. Now why would he have been doing such a thing, you ask? Well, lots of people apparently do it. They go across to Canada, pack some illegal immigrants in the trunk, and drive back. To lessen their chances of being caught, they do all the smuggling on the Akwesasne Reservation. See, this reservation basically straddles the border. There's a bit of it on the U.S. side and a bit on the Canada side. In other words, it's a hole in the border.
nt. She has a baby, but her mother- and sister-in-law have stolen it. When she found Ray's hubby's car abandoned in a parking lot, she took it for herself. As for her own husband, he drowned while trying to drive across the frozen St. Lawrence River separating Massena from Quebec. Now why would he have been doing such a thing, you ask? Well, lots of people apparently do it. They go across to Canada, pack some illegal immigrants in the trunk, and drive back. To lessen their chances of being caught, they do all the smuggling on the Akwesasne Reservation. See, this reservation basically straddles the border. There's a bit of it on the U.S. side and a bit on the Canada side. In other words, it's a hole in the border.The tense dynamic between the white woman and the Mohawk woman slackens soon enough when they realize they're both living in the same boat, so to speak. But that doesn't mean the tension in the movie slackens. Lila offers to share some of the proceeds with Ray if she helps her smuggle illegals. At first Ray flat out refuses, but as with her hubby going to Atlantic City, soon she faces reality. There is simply no way she can support her two boys and get a bigger trailer with what she makes at Yankee Dollar. Ray and Lila form a sort of smuggling partnership. Ray's no-bullshit attitude serves her well in dealing with others in this shady trade. She finds that she's a pretty good smuggler. And her granite personality is a nice counterpoint to Lila, who's far too meek for her own good. She never should've allowed her in-laws to snatch her infant boy from her.
So that's the plot in a nutshell without spoiling anything for you. It's a very indie movie, made on a shoestring. In other words, expect lots of handheld camera work, grainy images, and natural lighting, all of which only add to the gritty realism of this thing. Indeed, there really is a border town in New York called Massena, and a reservation straddling the border called Akwesasne, and people do smuggle illegals there. Writer-director Courtney Hunt was inspired to make this pup by a smuggler she knows. More on that below.
When Melissa Leo and Misty Upham came out after the show, the first thing they talked about was the short film Courtney Hunt made back in 2004 and which served as the basis for Frozen River. Courtney didn't want to do a short film. The way Melissa told it, Courtney was bound and determined from the beginning to get Melissa to play Ray Eddy. Like me, Courtney first took no
tice of Melissa in 21 Grams. Indeed, it was right after 21 Grams that Courtney approached Melissa about the role. Melissa said absolutely, but the producers said absolutely not. They wanted Courtney to get someone better known. It's too bad Courtney wasn't here tonight, but she sounds just as tough and outspoken as Melissa. She simply wouldn't back down, to the tune of financing her own little short and then showing the producers that Melissa really was the only person who could play Ray. Misty Upham piped in at one point and said that one especially callous producer said something like, "Who wants to see a movie with Melissa Leo and some Indian chick?" As for the short film, Melissa said the plot revolved around the baby in the duffel bag. If you see Frozen River, you'll know what I mean.
tice of Melissa in 21 Grams. Indeed, it was right after 21 Grams that Courtney approached Melissa about the role. Melissa said absolutely, but the producers said absolutely not. They wanted Courtney to get someone better known. It's too bad Courtney wasn't here tonight, but she sounds just as tough and outspoken as Melissa. She simply wouldn't back down, to the tune of financing her own little short and then showing the producers that Melissa really was the only person who could play Ray. Misty Upham piped in at one point and said that one especially callous producer said something like, "Who wants to see a movie with Melissa Leo and some Indian chick?" As for the short film, Melissa said the plot revolved around the baby in the duffel bag. If you see Frozen River, you'll know what I mean.Part of why Courtney was so determined to do the film her way was due to the seven or so years of research she put into it. That leads me to the personal connection she has to this story that I hinted at above. Courtney's husband is a member of the Blackfoot Mohawk tribe in upstate New York. He personally knows people who smuggle illegals across the river. Indeed, according to Melissa, it's to him that she owes a debt of gratitude for getting this part. Originally, after seeing 21 Grams, Courtney wanted to get Melissa for another project. But then Courtney's hubby said that she'd actually be perfect as Ray Eddy. He was tickled by how real the film turned out. There's a scene early on when Ray's trying to tow her hubby's abandoned car from Lila's trailer back to her own. She ties a rope to it or something. And then when she gets into her car and tries to drive, the rope immediately snaps because it's frozen. He liked the film because of little touches like that.
Obviously the short film fulfilled its purpose and then some, what with the Oscar attention and all. In fact, Frozen River started getting raves right after its first screening at Sundance a year ago January. It's amazing what you can do with a tiny budget. The preproduction was all of nine days, which is infinitesimal by feature film standards. Many features get a good several months, sometimes a 
year, for preproduction. Did I mention this was low budget? The shoot itself lasted twenty-four days. Again, that's very quick for a ninety-minute film. Instead of Massena, they shot the whole thing in Plattsburgh, about ninety minutes from Massena in the northeastern part of the state, on the other side of Lake Champlain from Vermont. Lake Champlain "played" the St. Lawrence. The only thing they couldn't fake was the cold. They really did shoot it in the dead of winter. Melissa said it would routinely dip below zero. One day it bottomed out at minus thirty or something, which is unfathomable for me. And for them too. Melissa said the production shut down that day. Between takes the poor things would get in a car and blast the heater. The crew? Not so lucky. Melissa couldn't stop gushing about what warriors they were. Well sure. It sounds like they didn't have a choice.
year, for preproduction. Did I mention this was low budget? The shoot itself lasted twenty-four days. Again, that's very quick for a ninety-minute film. Instead of Massena, they shot the whole thing in Plattsburgh, about ninety minutes from Massena in the northeastern part of the state, on the other side of Lake Champlain from Vermont. Lake Champlain "played" the St. Lawrence. The only thing they couldn't fake was the cold. They really did shoot it in the dead of winter. Melissa said it would routinely dip below zero. One day it bottomed out at minus thirty or something, which is unfathomable for me. And for them too. Melissa said the production shut down that day. Between takes the poor things would get in a car and blast the heater. The crew? Not so lucky. Melissa couldn't stop gushing about what warriors they were. Well sure. It sounds like they didn't have a choice.When the moderator asked them what it was like to work with a director who'd also written the film, Melissa said she wasn't crazy about it. She talked about meeting Tennessee Williams many years ago. After that encounter, she was convinced that writers are a very specific kind of people who talk to everyone more or less the same way. Directors, for their part, are another specific kind of people who, if they're good, figure out that you can't talk to everyone the same way because
not everyone's the same. I have to say I disagree with her opinion of writers. I'm a writer. I don't talk to everyone the same. Writers, like directors, have to know that people come in all shapes and sizes, right? How else can you create a cast of characters, whether for a novel or a film or a play? If the characters are all the same, shit, forget about it. Misty Upham would agree with me, but for more practical reasons. She was glad to have the writer and director as the same person. That made it much easier to work out issues with the shoot that Courtney hadn't anticipated while writing it. Misty liked how Courtney would literally have these arguments with herself until issues were resolved.
not everyone's the same. I have to say I disagree with her opinion of writers. I'm a writer. I don't talk to everyone the same. Writers, like directors, have to know that people come in all shapes and sizes, right? How else can you create a cast of characters, whether for a novel or a film or a play? If the characters are all the same, shit, forget about it. Misty Upham would agree with me, but for more practical reasons. She was glad to have the writer and director as the same person. That made it much easier to work out issues with the shoot that Courtney hadn't anticipated while writing it. Misty liked how Courtney would literally have these arguments with herself until issues were resolved. Speaking of Misty, someone in the audience asked her how much longer she'd be working at the Laundromat. Huh? I had no idea what that meant, but apparently this person was being literal. She was an older woman who looked like she knew Misty. In fact, now that I think about it, it could've been Misty's mom. Sure enough, Misty hasn't established enough of a foothold with her acting career to give up her day job doing laundry for people. Courtney made her gain a lot of weight for this film so she'd look like someone who just had a child last year. Misty has lost some of it, but she did confess that she's still struggling to get back down to her pre-Frozen River weight. Interesting thing about Misty, she really is of Mohawk descent and does live in upstate New York, about a half-hour from Canada. Like Courtney's husband, she knows people who smuggle illegals, but she's taken the smuggling for granted her whole life. It wasn't until doing this film that she realized what a big deal it is. For her part, Melissa says Courtney's timing couldn't have been better. With the economy in the state that it's in, more people than ever are turning to immigrant smuggling to keep the bread on the table.
Melissa and Misty also talked about the two kids who played Melissa's sons. The older one is T.J., played by Charlie McDermott. This is hardly his first film. In fact, he's compiled quite the resume for someone just out of high school. He's originally from the northeast and was still living there while acting so he could finish school. But now, according to Melissa, he's a working actor in L.A. As for little Ricky, he was played by this kid named James Reilly, who hasn't done anything besides this. Indeed, he wasn't even supposed to be in Frozen River. Courtney auditioned tons of kids but just couldn't find her Ricky. That's when Charlie said he had a younger cousin named James who might be good for the part. So they brought in James and Courtney fell for him on the spot. But wait, it gets better. According to Melissa and Misty, sweet little James never caught on to the fact that they were making a movie. They had to say stuff to him to prompt him and get him to look at a certain person or thing and react in a certain way. And then Courtney would insert snippets of that footage into the film to make it all look seamless. This is a perfect example of the power of editing. It's amazing what you can do.
Without spoiling the ending for you, Melissa said the appearance of that reservation cop was Courtney's way of saying not all men are shit, which is a message you could easily take away from this thing. Men are pretty much nonentities here. But nah. If we could see what happens after the film ends, that cop could easily become a surrogate dad to T.J. He obviously wants to straighten the kid out.
Melissa talked about being criticized by a certain network for not wearing enough makeup. It's been a decade since Homicide sacked her, but she still carries it. She couldn't get over how they used that as a reason. That's probably why she couldn't stop gushing about Courtney, who encouraged her to show the lines on her face. Melissa's all about the indie scene because that's where all the untapped talent lies. While of course it means low pay, she loves doing short films and shoestring-budget features for newbies.
