A drama set in the Mississippi delta, where one man's suicide affects three people's lives.
What particularly impresses about Ballast is the way that its handheld 35mm images (photographed by British cinematographer Lol Crawley) and its precise sound design combine to convey the experiences and emotions of its isolated characters, who movingly earn themselves the possibility of redemption.
Powerful, semi-improvised performances bring us closer to the isolated characters, who movingly earn themselves the possibility of redemption.
Tough as teak but tender with it, Lance Hammer's debut gets a long overdue - and very welcome - UK release. It puts the 'blue' into bluegrass, but finds plenty of uplift and emotion too. Excellent.
The tone of quiet desperation is perfect. So are the calibrated verismo of the soundtrack and the stoical, simple, hungering, believeable performances.
This is a director who understands that a whisper can be as powerful as a shout, and in its own quiet way, Ballast is a stunning achievement.
A difficult, subdued film, but intelligent and with more intricacy and subtlety than at first appears.
The film has a life of its own...expressed in a stoical patience and an understated humanity that makes of its final shot something quietly moving.
Naturalistic performances from a non-professional cast add to the austere integrity and touching humanity of this bleak tale.
It’s a rare film that has the courage to start with such sideways technique, the characters like sullen clams to be teased open.
The opening half hour is electrifying, the ending interestingly open-ended, and the memorably low-key images are the work of the British cinematographer Lol Crawley.
A raw, sober slice of life in rural Mississippi, that doesn’t really connect.
Hammer manages to do enough with his actors and his nuanced script to make this exploration of the way even disparate people can provide stability for one another seem surprisingly engaging.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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