Sundance Film Fest 2008--Written and directed by Lance Hammer, "Ballast" world premieres at the Dramatic Competition series. A story of loss and resilience in the American south, Lance Hammers debut feature evokes the visionary work of the Dardenne brothers, Terrence Malick, and David Gordon Green.
In the cold, winter light of the rural Mississippi Delta, Marlee, a single African-American mother, struggles to scratch a living for herself and her 12-year-old son James, who stumbles under drug and violence pressures.
When the opportunity to seek safe harbor at a new home arises, she grabs it, even though the property is shared by Lawrence, a man with whom she has a long and bitter past. With circumstances thrusting them into proximity, an interdependence and common purpose emerge for Marlee and Lawrence, as they tend to old wounds, test new waters, and tentatively move forward.
"Ballast" is a film that utilizes an aesthetic of understatement. Every frame is deliberately composed (shot on 35mm with only available light), every cut artfully and economically executed-not only to transmit a quietly gripping story but also to reveal the characters layered emotional experiences and the specific textures and sensations of their locales.
Grounded by three multi-nuanced performances, "Ballfast" is the product of intensive collaboration with local non-actors initimately connected to the material.
First-time writer-director Hammer shows sensitivity to the topography of human relationships with a lyrical, distinctively cinematic vision.
The film will also play at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival. As of press time, there's no distributor.
Running time: 96 Minutes.
Attending the festival are writer-director Lance Hammer (January 16-27), actors Michael J. Smith, Sr., Tarra Riggs and Johnny McPhail (18-25), and Jim Myron Ross (18-21).
