Customer Reviews

Ballast

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Ballast" is a small independent movie that was shot with primarily nonprofessional actors. Set in a rural area of the Mississippi Delta, the film focuses on Lawrence (Michael K. Smith, Sr.), a 30-something African-American man who lives on the same property as his twin brother. In the opening scene, a neighbor visits Lawrence, who is in a near catatonic state and won't respond; he's clearly experienced some kind of trauma. Slowly, we learn the back story and the relationships between the other characters who drift into the movie. This is a slice of life not often examined in movies - the realistic lives of poor African Americans in one of the most down-trodden areas of the country.

The movie is extremely low-key and slow paced. Likewise, the acting is often flat and doesn't always feel genuine (the extras show how the scenes were rehearsed and sometimes improved with the cast). However, "Ballast" overall does feel shockingly genuine, and even though it focuses on depressing issues the movie manages to be fairly uplifting without feeling manipulative. First-time director Lance Hammer has managed to tell an original American story that despite its pace is quite captivating. The film was nominated for and won various indie film awards, including a win at the Sundance Film Festival for Best Directing (Dramatic). "Ballast" reminded me a bit in tone and content of another recent indie hit, "Frozen River," and I think it will appeal to a similar audience.

Like the debris of Hurricane Katrina scattered in the fields of this rural Mississippi setting, the lives of the three central characters of this wonderful film have been shattered by forces beyond their control. A mother tries to rescue her boy from the dangerous influence of some nasty drug dealers, while a man reels from the suicide of his twin brother, who is also her ex-husband. Under grim winter skies, the emotional distances between them - anger, fear, distrust, lost hopes - verge on despair and then careen away from disaster, as the three tentatively reach out to a resolution that involves each other.

It's an alarming and saddening portrayal of lives slipping through safety nets and, by a kind of miracle of circumstances and determination, saving themselves, one day at a time. Filmmaker Lance Hammer uses hand-held cameras and an elliptical style of editing to heighten the urgency in the characters' situations. Performances are restrained and remarkable, especially JimMyron Ross, who plays the boy with a sullen silence that betrays the terror and confusion that his character is trying to hide. The DVD includes three improvisational scenes in which the actors explore their characters' relationships. Deserves every award it has won.

"Ballast", writer/director Lance Hammer's low-budget Indie darling, is a slice of life, profound in it's realistic approach to simple, good people facing adversity. Without blabbing away the plot, our 3 central characters have their own individual issues, all of which collide and provide a new understanding among them. Marlee (the excellent Tarra Reed) shows great range of emotion; loving mother, scorned wife, a woman of integrity. Her young son, James, (JimMyron Ross), still craving the attention of an absent father, finds himself caught up in the naîve world of peer pressure and drugs. Lawrence (Michael J. Smith) is reeling over the suicide of his twin brother, James' father. Suspicion, confusion and mild deceit color the interaction of the three, leading to a sensible resolve. I'm glad I had the opportunity to rent the DVD, after all the awards it's received. The widescreen transfer is quite fine, showing a desolate landscape, which is a character in itself. The cinematography is quite fine. The fact that the story revolves around African-Americans is incidental; these characters could be of any color, since their issues are universal. Highly recommended!

A haunting and cold film that has an ultimately uplifting message...this will stay with you for quite awhile....nice transfer by Kino....well worth the cost

"Ballast," a double prize winner at the Sundance Film Festival, takes place in the Mississippi delta and focuses on three people affected by a tragedy. Lawrence (Michael J. Smith, Jr.) is grief-stricken after the loss of his twin brother. Twelve-year-old James (JimMyron Ross) is starting to encounter the drug culture of local teenagers, and his single mother, Marlee (Tarra Riggs), is too exhausted from her low-paying job to see the clues. Writer/director/editor Lance Hammer tells his story episodically, providing glimpses into these lives and tracing how they intertwine with one another.
Hammer worked for months in rehearsal with his mostly untrained actors and the performances are extremely natural. The film is sparse on dialogue, strong on visuals. Hammer knows how to present a narrative with his camera and let incidents build an overall portrait of his characters. As editor, he lingers on a scene so the viewer can take in facial expressions, reactions, and thought processes. "Ballast" is available in both DVD and Blu-ray. Special features include a making-of featurette, theatrical trailer, and a critical essay.

I'm going to go out on a limb and bring a competing voice to this discussion. I rented Ballast due to all of the awards and glowing reviews. But I found it so ridden with clichés, stereotypes and implausibilities that I couldn't even suspend disbelief, much less bring myself to rave about it.

The minimalist plot centers around three characters: Marlee (Tarra Riggs), the single mother with a history of drug addiction; her troubled son James (JimMyron Ross), who dabbles with drugs and guns; and the boy's catatonically depressed uncle Lawrence (Micheal J. Smith). Although the setting of a poverty-stricken African-American family in the Mississippi Delta is unusual in film, the central plot is entirely conventional: Lonely souls brought together by tragedy. But mostly, we get long, sad and bitter silences. Even an excellent performance by Riggs cannot overcome the lack of character development; none of these three are multi-dimensional enough to elicit audience connection.

What little action does occur is implausible. One moment, a gang of dangerous drug dealers is set to kill James over a $100 debt; the next, these rogues have mysteriously disappeared and are never seen again. Equally inexplicable is the ending. The film suddenly just ends, in mid-stride.

After finding myself so uncharacteristically at odds with the mainstream accolades, I scoured the reviews to find anyone whose take was remotely similar to mine. I finally found film critic Armond White's review in the New York Press, which hit the nail on the head by calling Ballast "an African-American indie film fantasy made for white liberals":

"You have to see through these ludicrous black phantoms to the actual white middle-class fantasies at the film's core.... Ballast demonstrates exactly how movies condition knee-jerk responses to black pathology.... It's simply another calling-card movie establishing the director's credentials.... African-American life is imprisoned by the art fallacies of Indie filmmaking, controlled by white liberal condescension."

Much as I wanted to like this movie, I just couldn't. I do, however, hope it gives the actors - especially Riggs -- much-deserved visibility for future success.

One of the best films I have seen in years... This is art at it's zenith. Capturing life-essence on film - no soundtrack required to move the soul and heart.

The acting, character development in this movie is excellent. I left one star off because the ending didn't seem to bring closure in my opinion, a little too abrupt;although, the atmosphere of the movie seems to allow for that.

Kino's announcements of upcoming releases arrived in this morning's mail, with the almost incredible news that - on November 10 - Ballast will appear on BD and DVD. Now this brilliant film will be available to the wide audience it deserves; and Ballast's status as 2008's most remarkable film should be assured. I have pre-ordered ten copies (6 blu-ray) to distribute among friends who weren't able to catch Ballast's only NC engagement, at Cary's Galaxy Cinemas.

BALLAST: a flawless premiere from latest up-and-coming auteur, Lance Hammer.

I saw this at VIFF and, brilliantly enough, Lance Hammer was there in attendance- he even obliged us to a QnA session! SO, let me tell you, *because I know*... THIS MOVIE IS PERFECT. Every image absorbs your soul. I'm serious... this movie took a piece of me and is holding it for keeps. I'm so unbelievably happy that this is coming out on Blu-Ray. Buy this movie. Buy it twice. I can't believe you haven't seen it already... Tell your friends. They'll thank you and think you're cool.

I heart you Lance Hammer. Your film is beautiful.