Review of Ballast (2008) by Thomas P — 07 Mar 2017
Blistering indie about a kid drawn in by a drug gang, his mother trying to juggle working and keeping her son from the drug culture, all within the quiet of rural Missouri bleakness.
A bit confusing at the start, and a missed opportunity to be elliptical in the end, it never lags, and it draws you in to the point you can't look away.
These pensive characters offer unspoken complexities, and a part of you knows this is thinly veiled reality. The organic nature of the narrative its almost stunning to observe.
Tho not as intensely volatile as Winter's Bone w Jennifer Lawrence - a MUST SEE - but with the same style and veracity. There is also a measure of New Jersey Drive gang mentality thrown in, and no one is safe.
A solid work from a first time director.
4 out of 5 coldly overcast souls.
This review of Ballast (2008) was written by Thomas P on 07 Mar 2017.
Ballast has generally received positive reviews.
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