Ballast 2008

Synopsis:

In the cold, winter light of a rural Mississippi Delta township, a man's suicide radically transforms three characters' lives and throws off-balance what has long been a static arrangement among them. Marlee is a single mother struggling to scratch out a living for herself and James, her 12-year-old son, who has begun to stumble under drug and violence pressures. So when the opportunity to seek safe harbor at a new home arises, she grabs it, though the property is shared by Lawrence, a man with whom Marlee has feuded bitterly since James's birth. With circumstances thrusting them into proximity, a subtle interdependence and common purpose emerge for Marlee and Lawrence as they navigate grief, test new waters and move forward.

Won: Special Jury Prize, Revelations Prize, 2008 Deauville Film Festival
Nominated: Golden Berlin Bear, 2008 Berlin International Film Festival; Best Feature, Best Director, Best First Screenplay, Best Female Lead (Riggs), Best Supporting Male (Ross), Best Cinematography, 2009 Independent Spirit Awards
Review:

"Unhurried rhythms and spare, beautifully composed shots infuse Lance Hammer's BALLAST with the sweet, dark melancholy of a Delta blues." -- Elena Oumano

(Read more)
Genres: Drama

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