evanston_dad "Ballast" takes a while to draw you in, and you might give up on it before it does, but it's a film that rewards patience.The three characters at the film's focus are Lawrence, Marlee and James, all eking out existences in the Mississippi Delta. Marlee is a single mom whose wayward son, James, is flirting with drugs, guns and other anti-social tendencies. Lawrence is the twin brother of Marlee's late husband, who has committed suicide as the film opens, and Lawrence himself is fighting depression and his own thoughts of suicide after the loss of his brother.This bleak scenario does not become clear all at once. It takes time to figure out who these people are and what their relations are to one another. And even then, the film isn't forthcoming about everything. Marlee and Lawrence clearly have a contentious past, and we get the gist even if we don't ever learn the details. The three form a kind of tentative bond as they realize that they're all the family any of them have, and as Marlee and Lawrence begin to partner in running the convenience store the two brothers inherited from their father."Ballast" is one of those indie movies that makes wherever it's set look like the most depressing place on earth. There are long static shots of mundane images, like trains passing or birds taking flight, and I do have to admit that much of it felt like indie-movie cliché. But it boasts an interesting premise and a collection of good little performances, and it's certainly worth a look.Grade: A

gettyisrael-1 I have seen the stereotypical depression and desperation of poor black people, particularly single women, too many times on film; consequently I simply can't get excited about this film. There is nothing new and fresh about the characters or their plights. The isolated location is the only thing new and different. Usually this story takes place in a poor urban environment. As a single black mother with a 12 year old son who resides in Mississippi, I demand something more promising and hopeful. It would be great to see a story that transforms this group of people or that focuses on an aspect of their lives that is positive and uplifting. I'm fed up with being reminded of the agony of being a black woman in the South.

Stephen_W While the plaudits for truthfulness are well-deserved, I found myself yawning more than a few times during "Ballast." I really wanted to give this film a chance -- the characters had so much potential to tell us an engaging story. The real tragedy in this tale of near-tragic realism is that the pacing and atmospherics, which for some may bolster the sense of realism, only serve to deaden any spark of story these characters have to tell us. The performances are spot-on, and, with the exception of diction problems on the part of young James, they are technically flawless. But movie characters are not real characters, and when they move through events with the slow and seemingly random momentum of real people in the real world, they fail to engage our interest. While there is much to be said for the film-making -- the cinematography, sound and production design are wonderful -- I can't help but feel these talents were squandered.

rasecz 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.