I wrote this email to a friend, about Frozen River, filmed in my backyard ...
"I finally watched it. Wow. This is a really great film!
I can understand why some local Native Americans don't like it. The depiction of reservation life is not flattering. This is especially true, I think, if the Native Americans who were at the screening really buy into or want to believe that reservation society is really quite noble. The movie depicts aspects of official reservation power structure as being fairly corrupt ... the bingo parlors, and the fact that they condone families stealing babies from disfavored family members. The smugglers are the closest things to good guys, yet they are the bad guys of the reservation ... or at least they are looked down upon.
Then there's the fact that the white woman who upped the ante on the smuggling ... arguably getting the native woman in worse trouble ... ended up a selfless hero. That's gotta be a bit irritating to Native sensibilities.
On the ot
her side ...
The movie beautifully depicts that poor is poor. The white woman's troubles weren't all that different from the natives' troubles. Family problems and money pretty much accounts for all of it. That's what made these two women such good partners and friends, even though they started out as adversaries.
Other observations:
- I'm not sure, but I think the actor who played Lila was fantastic. Its hard to tell, since the character is so low-key, but I think she did a great job.
- Ray's older son was great, too.
- I really wanted to know more about why Lila's mother-in-law took her child. But I'm glad they left that vague.
- One thing they didn't do very well was sell the idea that Lila was anti-white. Though, I do think it was very significant when she said several times that they wouldn't be stopped ... and if stopped, it would be alright ... because Ray was white. "Remember, you're white!" I wanted to say, "Yeah, but you aren't!"
- Another group that could be offended by this movie ... French Canadians! I mean, their contacts on the other side were pretty sleazy, no?
- I love the local authenticity ... Route 37, "the Moira Road", Tom Messner doing the weather on Channel 5.
Anyway, the whole thing was pretty damned awesome!"