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Country: USA
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Year of Production: 2008
Format: 35mm
Running Time: 97 minutes
Certificate: 15
Theatrical Release date: 17th July 2009
Twice Academy Award nominated (Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay) and two-time Winner at the Independent Spirit Awards (Best Actress and Producer Award), Courtney Hunt's powerful debut feature-film has also picked up a slue of festival accolades including the Grand Jury prize in Dramatic Competition at Sundance.
Featuring a breathtaking performance by Melissa Leo (21 GRAMS), FROZEN RIVER tells the story of a blue collar Mom trying desperately to hold her family together on the icy plains of the Canadian border in the lead up to Christmas. When her gambling husband walks off with her life savings, Ray (Melissa Leo) hardened by circumstances, is left to resort to drastic measures to fend for her family as best she can.
"the most exciting thriller I've seen this year... It took my breath away and then somewhere around the last hour, it put my heart in a vice and proceeded to twist that vice until the last frame" Quentin Tarantino"one of the most impressive feature debuts of the past several years... [Courtney Hunt] brings a sharp eye to the world of Ray and Lila and is rewarded by excellent, wholly uningratiating performances from Leo, who was rightly nominated for an Oscar (and in my view should have won) and Upham. They work beautifully together." FILM OF THE WEEKPhilip French, THE OBSERVER"a superior thriller... Melissa Leo is stunning" 4 STARS CRITICS' CHOICETIME OUT"tough, confident and instantly involving... Leo and Upham give performances of great conviction and the film is bold and uncliched" 4 STARSPeter Bradshaw, THE GUARDIAN"Outstanding" PICK OF THE WEEKTHE GUARDIAN GUIDE"a brilliant film... great performance by Melissa Leo... a very deserved Oscar nomination for a really original and bright screenplay that takes you on a fantastic journey"Jason Solomons, Film Weekly - THE GUARDIAN PODCAST "fantastic... very atmospheric"Andrew Pulver, Film Weekly - THE GUARDIAN PODCAST"a mighty debut... exciting and gripping"Xan Brooks, Film Weekly - THE GUARDIAN PODCAST"tightly wound as a thriller... unbearable tension... like a gathering storm" 4 STARSWendy Ide, THE TIMES"a terrific, Oscar-nominated performance by Melissa Leo"THE SUNDAY TIMESCRITICS' CHOICE – TOP FIVE FILMSTHE TIMES PLAYLIST"thrilling drama... superb" 4 STARSTHE INDEPENDENT"a tightly plotted crime thriller... Leo's performance and Hunt's screenplay both richly deserved their Oscar nominations." 4 STARSINDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY"fantastic central performance... rich, atmospheric" 4 STARS FIVE BEST FILMSTHE INDEPENDENT INFORMATION"tense and near heart-stopping... [Leo] shakes the film... in thrilling, hungry style"THE DAILY TELEGRAPH"[Melissa Leo] is terrific... a towering performance"David Gritten, The Culture Minute - THE DAILY TELEGRAPH/TV"nerve jangling. Frozen River will penetrate your core like a biting Arctic wind" 4 STARSThe Sneak, THE SUN4 STARSDAILY EXPRESS"an atmospheric character-driver thriller... well acted and beautifully shot"THE SUNDAY EXPRESS4 STARSDavid Edwards, DAILY MIRROR"powerful"Baz Bamigboye, DAILY MAIL"an affecting story of fighting for survival... moments of surprising, stark beauty in this intense drama" 4 STARSTHE MAIL ON SUNDAY"a gripping... thriller that is high on thrills. It grabs you and holds you all the way. Melissa Leo's magnificent acting... vividly proves her Oscar nomination was triumphantly deserved"DAILY STAR"a deserved Oscar nomination... never less than enthralling... Frozen River exerts an undeniable grip. We shall keep our eyes on the promising Ms Hunt."Donald Clarke, THE IRISH TIMES"remarkably accomplished... anchored most convincingly by Melissa Leo's brutally honest performance" 4 STARSIRISH INDEPENDENT"a gripping thriller... a very, very fine central performance [Melissa Leo]... it looks beautiful... I liked it a lot."Mark Kermode, BBC FILM 24"fantastic"D. D. Guttenplan (London correspondent 'The Nation'), BBC2 NEWSNIGHT REVIEW"wonderful"FRONT ROW, BBC RADIO 4"a searingly good film... which I urge you to go and see... it was riveting"The Jeni Barnett Show, LBC RADIO"brilliantly played" 4 STARSDerek Malcolm, THE EVENING STANDARD"magical... A gritty, original thriller... Leo is terrific" 4 STARSTHE METRO4 STARSLONDON LITE"a credible, high-stakes thriller. Cracking stuff." 4 STARSTHE SCOTSMAN"exceptional"THE LIST"outstanding performances"SUNDAY MAIL, SCOTLAND"remarkable... Leo is magnificent" 4 STARSEMPIRE"a striking plot... finely written... Hunt's clearly a name to watch" 4 STARSTOTAL FILMFILM OF THE MONTHSIGHT & SOUND"an edge-of-the-seat thriller"LITTLE WHITE LIES"Leo is absolutely terrific and the frosty landscape is loaded with atmosphere"ELLE MAGAZINE"inspirational" 4 STARSMARIE CLAIRE5 STARSGRAZIA4 STARS TOP 10 FILMS OF THE WEEKHEAT4 STARS THIS WEEK'S BEST FILMSNEW"riveting" FILM OF THE MONTHDAZED & CONFUSED"superb"Q MAGAZINE"stunning"CLASH MAGAZINE"mesmerizing"ATTITUDE MAGAZINE"a gripping thriller based around a spellbinding performance" 4 STARSFQ MAGAZINE"Nail-biter" 4 STARSNUTS MAGAZINE"a chilling contemporary thriller... Melissa Leo is majestic... It's an icebreaker designed to melt the hardest of hearts" 4 STARSMORNING STAR"gripping... deeply engrossing and thought-provoking."SOCIALIST REVIEW"Highly involving and beautifully played... A skillful melding of indie realism and thriller conventions that grips like a vice throughout." FILM OF THE MONTHTHE CRACK MAGAZINE"the film delivers as a tightly plotted crime thriller... but it's also a touching, sympathetic drama"DIRECTOR MAGAZINE"thoroughly rewarding... a fascinating, understated look at the human condition" 4 STARSDIGITAL SPY"quality... These are performances that truly know no borders"FILM 4"one of the most gripping thrillers to come around in ages"MATURE TIMES"gripping and moving... a powerful and deeply affecting experience" 5 STARS NEWS SHOPPER"impressively directed... superbly written... beautifully shot... Melissa Leo delivers an achingly raw performance... that will stay with you long after the credits roll. Highly recommended and one of the best films of the year" 5 STARSVIEW LONDON"Miracles do happen. And Frozen River is one of them... Melissa Leo's
performance is screen acting of the highest order."TIME MAGAZINETO DOWNLOAD PRESS NOTES CLICK HERE:
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