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Ballast

Play trailer Poster for Ballast Released Oct 1, 2008 1h 36m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 80 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Newly widowed by her husband's shocking suicide, recovering addict Marlee (Tarra Riggs) struggles to raise her young son, James (JimMyron Ross), by herself. Inconsolable over the suicide and unequipped to face life without a father, the stunned James reaches out to his estranged uncle Lawrence (Micheal J. Smith Sr.), his father's stoic identical twin. In the wake of their reunion, James sets out on a painful, meandering path that inevitably lands him and his grieving family in grave danger.
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Ballast

Ballast

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Critics Consensus

A searing debut by director Lance Hammer, this subtle and contemplative Mississippi set drama lingers long after its conclusion.

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Critics Reviews

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Ben Kenigsberg Time Out Rated: 3/5 Nov 18, 2011 Full Review Joshua Rothkopf Time Out Rated: 4/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Philip French Guardian The opening half hour is electrifying, the ending interestingly open-ended... Mar 22, 2011 Full Review Joanne Laurier World Socialist Web Site The storyline is direct and the characters well-sketched. The film revolves around the impact of a suicide on the family of a convenience store owner. Mar 5, 2021 Full Review David Lamble Bay Area Reporter This moving debut effort combines edgy camerawork, a stark story and a cast of inspired non-professionals. Jun 2, 2020 Full Review Lucy Popescu CineVue Ballast packs a punch and its raw, visceral quality is hard to forget. Rated: 3/5 Dec 24, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member 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 Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member The prevalent theme is the feeling of sadness. But there are many other minute details of the hard and rough life, broken relations, gangs, drugs and violence. All the people in the films are totally non-professionals. There is no use of background music and no artificial lighting either. The deserted lackluster landscape and surroundings add to the feeling of sadness of the characters themselves. Above all it is also a profound character study. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member Intricate, detailed and beautifully filmed. You are captivated by the images and dark colours from the opening scene leaving you to thirst for more. The depth of the characters and the performances from the cast pulls you right in. A near perfect drama. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member i guess it might have been pretty good movie, but it somehow didnt touch me.. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member A "searing, subtle and contemplative debut"? Maybe, if you're a white critic plagued by some sense of suburban white guilt and too scared to say "It's boring, and the characters are annoying." Beautifully shot, though. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Heartbreaking and realistic. Watching this, it's hard to believe that we all live in the same country. That people like this live out their lives underneath the very same nation we are a part of. Anyway, this film is so understated and so well-done and so disturbing and surprising, it's a shame if you don't see it. So go see it. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Ballast

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Newly widowed by her husband's shocking suicide, recovering addict Marlee (Tarra Riggs) struggles to raise her young son, James (JimMyron Ross), by herself. Inconsolable over the suicide and unequipped to face life without a father, the stunned James reaches out to his estranged uncle Lawrence (Micheal J. Smith Sr.), his father's stoic identical twin. In the wake of their reunion, James sets out on a painful, meandering path that inevitably lands him and his grieving family in grave danger.
Director
Lance Hammer
Producer
Nina Parikh, Lance Hammer
Screenwriter
Lance Hammer
Distributor
Alluvial Filmworks
Production Co
Alluvial Film Company
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 1, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 27, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$76.2K
Runtime
1h 36m
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