Review of Ballast (2008) by Bonnie C — 12 Nov 2009

4.0/10.

"Ballast," for all it's minimalistic beauty, maintains a steady somber mood but forgets to invest in little things like, say, a plot.

It tells the tale of a Mississippi family torn apart by drugs, financial difficulty, and a recent death, and how they try desperately to pull their less then perfect lives out of the gutter. While it's interesting to see how these people, so alienated from each other in the beginning, can bring things together over time, there isn't a whole lot to go on in terms of a narrative. Just a step by step account of how the family gets from one point to another. Matters are not helped by the fact that every character present is incredibly reluctant to start a conversation with another character, everyone being knee deep in their own inner turmoil. What we're left with is a lot of shots of sad people in sad states, which would be fine, but since nothing ever actually happens in the film, it all seems a bit pointless and redundant.

Not all is bad, though. The cinematography captures the barren and permanently overcast world beautifully in all it's gritty, realistic glory. The low key performances fit the surroundings well, even if some of the dialogue can get pretty mumbly.

While, what "Ballast" seeks to achieve is truly admirable, it cannot be denied that without a plot for foundation, much of the creative effort put into the film is tragically squandered.