Frozen River

Frozen River (2008) is an American crime drama you can watch online on iFILM. Written and directed by Courtney Hunt, it stars Melissa Leo and Misty Upham — two women who have nothing in common except that they've both run out of options.

Ray Eddy is a working-class mother in upstate New York. Her husband has vanished with what little money they had, the mortgage is due, and there are two kids to feed. Lila is a widowed Mohawk woman from the reservation that straddles the US–Canada border. She makes a living running undocumented immigrants across the frozen St. Lawrence River in a car trunk. Ray needs cash; Lila needs a driver. The partnership forms fast and badly, and each crossing tightens the risk. What keeps the film from becoming a thriller is that both women are entirely rational — they're not making reckless choices, they're making the only choices available.

Melissa Leo was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for this performance — her first Oscar nod, delivered in a debut feature. Hunt's direction stays close and cold throughout. Watch Frozen River (2008) online on iFILM.