Once Upon a River

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Once Upon a River

Released Oct 2, 2020

1h 32m

Drama

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32 Reviews

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A girl must begin an unexpected odyssey on the Stark River to find her estranged mother after her father is killed in a tragic accident.

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Critics Consensus

Thinly characterized but beautifully filmed, Once Upon a River is a coming-of-age story that drifts on gently meditative currents.

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Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

A backwoods journey dense with beautiful images and brilliant acting...

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 30, 2024

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Amber Wilkinson

Times (UK)

There is plenty of potential here but it's a shame we spend so much time simply following the surface trajectory of Margo's life rather than diving into its emotional depths.

Rated: 3/5

May 25, 2021

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

Apart from the atmospheric wetland backdrop, the film's main asset is Kenadi DelaCerna, self-possessed and soulful in the role of the part Native American 15-year-old, Margo Crane.

Rated: 3/5

May 9, 2021

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Patrick McDonald

HollywoodChicago.com

Director Haroula Rose is an artist of atmosphere, as the film's characters travel through territory that reflects their status in life. Kenadi DelaCerna is the glue, delivering a riveting performance and bearing many conflicted emotions. W/Interviews.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 18, 2024

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Kathy Fennessy

Video Librarian Magazine

If Margo isn't the most expressive character, it ends with the possibility that a resourceful orphan can make a new life for herself away from the repressive forces of her past, a trajectory it shares with Debra Granik's Winter's Bone and Leave No Trace.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 22, 2024

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Sarah Ward

AWFJ.org

Telling of traumas that plague a Native American teenager, writer/director Haroula Rose shows the resonance of her protagonist’s experiences. Inequality is hardly a relic of history. This coming-of-age story is relevant to past, present and future

Jul 22, 2024

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Haroula Rose

Director

Kenadi DelaCerna

Margo Crane

John Ashton

Smoke

Tatanka Means

Bernard Crane

Ajuawak Kapashesit

Will

Kenn E. Head

Fishbone

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West Michigan

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Identifying Features

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Once Upon a River: Trailer 2

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Once Upon a River: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A girl must begin an unexpected odyssey on the Stark River to find her estranged mother after her father is killed in a tragic accident.

Director: Haroula Rose
Producer: Jacqueline E Ingram, Haroula Rose
Screenwriter: Bonnie Jo Campbell
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: Thirty Tigers, Chicago Media Angels, Neon Heart Productions, Glass Bead Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 2, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 30, 2020
Runtime: 1h 32m

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