Middle of Nowhere

I enjoyed this movie. The characters were complex and true to life. You can see yourself, your family, friends, etc. In each character. We are complicated and have many layers.

True love demands certain sacrifices, so Ruby regularly visits her husband Derek in prison, works hard to pay household and legal expenses, and endures frequent and unbearable lectures from her mother regarding bad life choices. Her husband is a good man, so it is worth it. Time, however, has a way of changing things. Despite her devotion, Ruby faces temptations and disappointments. She struggles to maintain her dignity and composure, and to shine even on her worst day.

This elegant and complex film is a little hidden treasure waiting to be discovered. I was delighted to find it. The photography is one of the best things about it; colorful and beautiful images (mostly at night) make the film a gem even if it had no sound. The moody music, acoustic and ambient, adds to the magic. The story, acting and directing are also extremely well done. This film must have been a profound influence for Moonlight, or be connected to it in some way, for both films are similar in appearance, aura and stupefying impressions they leave. Winner of best director prize at Sundance.

Enjoyed the work. It was engaging, sad, poignant, deep, and delved into many facets in the web of relationships. I don't understand and likely won't why an accomplished, beautiful, young, intelligent, caring, kind person could allow themselves to be so completely consumed with a situation so dysfunctional. And not just dysfunctional, but a situation which could have derailed their life or even resulted in death by law enforcement. Fortunately, they didn't lose themselves completely and were able to lift up from the despair. It's one thing to love and support our incarcerated loved ones, it's another thing to totally subjugate our lives to the situation. This film is a powerful portrayal of choices.

It is always refreshing to see good indie movies exploring dark themes in a sensitive and almost lyric way. These are, incidentally, the two major strong points of this movie.

There are many titles, some rather good ones, exploring incarceration an its effects on the person behind bars. Multiple angles and story lines are explored, almost always from the incarcerated point of view.

'Middle of Nowhere', instead, puts the focus on an accomplished young woman whose life hangs still when her young husband is incarcerated for a long term, and makes the movie about the effects of incarceration on people who are on the outside, supposedly free, but actually suffering by proxy a set of restrictions and struggles that derive from the fact that a loved one or in-law is not present. That is an interesting take on the subject.

Nonetheless, the script is just too slow. There are several cogent reasons for a script to be slow, such as character development, parallel narratives - but none of them could possible justify it here. Thus, it becomes very difficult to keep paying attention on what the director had in mind as dozens of minutes are just fillers that, in turn, are juxtaposed with some pivotal scenes that are paradoxically too hurried up.

Go and see this film!! Ignore the critics and lame ratings!! This movie unfolds like a blossom and it's a great film for both men and women! It is a powerful and emotionally deep experience - without being heavy handed. The acting is phenomenal and the characters are She's innocent, hopeful, committed, determined and blind. Her husband is cautious, realistic, hanging on, while trying to push her away. This is a movie of incredible dialog and subtle physicality - the twitch of a lip, the pleading or twinkling in the eyes, and the anger/frustration in tightly drawn lips. I love the film's murkiness and incomplete glimpses of the couple's history. There's not a lot of time spent trying to show how they got to where they are.

The portrayal of a family as strained, fragmented and individually isolated was stunning and the scenes between the mother and her 2 daughters -- acted as levers that the director used to shift the film's pace. The movie also gently taps at class and socio-economic constructs within the African-American community.

"Variety" magazine's reckless and inaccurate review (IMHO) completely missed the point of the movie and of the ONE line he quoted - yet misinterpreted. Hint/hint: the line is "an ode to the fact that most men -- even black men 'ie, brothas' lean toward flicks - where you don't have to follow the dialog; that is...you don't really have to pay attention!! It was NOT a statement alluding to actual or perceived reading abilities.

The movie feels much longer than it is, but it was a wonderful savoring. At the end, I was satisfied...yet still would have been content with more! Compared to the movie "Blue Valentine" featuring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, this movie is a true 10!