2019’s Little Woods,
written and directed by Nia DaCosta.
Starring Tessa Thompson, Lily James, Charlie Ray Reid, James
Badge Dale, Lance Reddick, and Luke Kirby.
What is it about?
Set in present day North Dakota, Ollie (Tessa Thompson) is
currently on probation after being convicted of smuggling pain killers from
Canada for her dying mother. Ollie makes ends meet working odd jobs as she
tries to not have her deceased mother’s house get foreclosed, while reporting
to her probation officer, Carter (Lance Reddick). With Ollie’s probation period
almost up, her sister Deb (Lily James), already fully taxed from the challenges
of raising her young nephew Johnny (Charlie Ray Reid), discovers that she is
pregnant. With Deb needing money to not get evicted from her trailer, she needs
to figure out what to do regarding her baby in a country where it costs 8
thousand dollars to pay for pre natal care, while living in a state where
abortion is illegal. Will Ollie be able to resist temptation so she can help
her family, or fall into a vicious cycle and become another victim of America’s
War on Drugs?
Why is it worth seeing?
Little Woods is writer/director
Nia DaCosta’s debut feature. Her story, about a poverty ravaged North Dakota
town and its limited economic prospects, inspired enough confidence that newly
minted Marvel star Tessa Thompson not only agreed to headline, but also
executive produce. It’s nigh impossible to not refer to it as a middle class
version of Winter’s Bone (to which
few films can compare to). That’s not a slight, and its familiar setting of desperate
poverty (it may set a cinematic record for most wood paneled interiors),
intergenerational hard luck (it compares a little to Hell or High Water as well), and great work from its lead produce a
promising start to DaCosta’s career.
Lead actor Tessa Thompson in her role as Ollie is memorably great, as the scrappy family prioritizing but now criminal record possessing woman who wants to start a new life, but has to help her less capable family first. Proving herself situationally fluid whatever she’s speaking with her investigative parole officer (the rock solid Lance Reddick), blue collar fracking workers (a great turn by James Badge Dale), or her hard luck relations, she still projects her insecurities at more vulnerable times but is able to walk a tightrope when job interviewing shortly after a rough encounter with a drug dealer. It’s luminous stuff that only the best movie stars can pull off.
The North Dakota town depicted here is appropriately placed in the metaphorical centre of present day America. We share the experience of a character, now technically a criminal due to America’s so called War on Drugs, trying to help a woman, who can’t afford to be pregnant (this is before the baby is even born), who lives in a state where abortion is illegal. Is it any wonder that a character gazes longingly at the prospect of living in another state (or Canada for that matter)? That relatable possibility, combined with the film’s proliferation of temporary workers in its margins, may be where Woods’ sense of geography ends. Its citizens (understandably) may not have plans to plant roots into soil of questionable value.
Given the stakes and lack of predictable outcome, DaCosta’s script produces some moments of high tension, aided by the grim desperation of its setting. It makes its more humane moments shine all the more brighter. However, it also features some choices that are more difficult to relate to its characters, hopefully a product of a developing auteur. Those transgressions are easier forgotten when it comes to an open ended conclusion that has as much optimism as it does uncertainty. Even if it’s not morning in America like we were promised, we can still see the sun through the trees.
Lead actor Tessa Thompson in her role as Ollie is memorably great, as the scrappy family prioritizing but now criminal record possessing woman who wants to start a new life, but has to help her less capable family first. Proving herself situationally fluid whatever she’s speaking with her investigative parole officer (the rock solid Lance Reddick), blue collar fracking workers (a great turn by James Badge Dale), or her hard luck relations, she still projects her insecurities at more vulnerable times but is able to walk a tightrope when job interviewing shortly after a rough encounter with a drug dealer. It’s luminous stuff that only the best movie stars can pull off.
The North Dakota town depicted here is appropriately placed in the metaphorical centre of present day America. We share the experience of a character, now technically a criminal due to America’s so called War on Drugs, trying to help a woman, who can’t afford to be pregnant (this is before the baby is even born), who lives in a state where abortion is illegal. Is it any wonder that a character gazes longingly at the prospect of living in another state (or Canada for that matter)? That relatable possibility, combined with the film’s proliferation of temporary workers in its margins, may be where Woods’ sense of geography ends. Its citizens (understandably) may not have plans to plant roots into soil of questionable value.
Given the stakes and lack of predictable outcome, DaCosta’s script produces some moments of high tension, aided by the grim desperation of its setting. It makes its more humane moments shine all the more brighter. However, it also features some choices that are more difficult to relate to its characters, hopefully a product of a developing auteur. Those transgressions are easier forgotten when it comes to an open ended conclusion that has as much optimism as it does uncertainty. Even if it’s not morning in America like we were promised, we can still see the sun through the trees.
No comments:
Post a Comment