This wintry slice of North Plains Americana works like an antique book of hours, capturing with uncanny accuracy the dormant lives of small town people whose existence is measured by the length of their memories and by the passing hours of each slow day. The film has a striking sense of place, with the lonely town of Rachel River, Minnesota, providing its most compelling character. All the other roles, from Pamela Reed's independent single mother and backwoods radio jockey to Craig T. Nelson's crude, shabby deputy sheriff, are only extensions of the town's own faded spirit, and the sometimes meandering storyline follows a measured, halting rhythm of life in isolation. Not always consistent, but a beautiful mood piece, with haunting landscapes photographed by Paul Elliott.
