Movie magic on a mini budget: Single mom living in a quiet community on the Hudson River has all her routines disturbed by the arrival of an environmentalist doing research on Hydraulic Fracking.
Just like in Frozen River, Melissa Leo gives another phenomenal performance as “Fay,” with great back up from Josh Hamilton (as “Becket”), as well as Marin Ireland (as “Sylvie,” the troubled daughter Fay has struggled for years to nurture & protect).
Writer/Director Enid Zentelis maximizes every dollar at her command, focusing her camera on a woman that many people–& most men–would never look at twice… And she makes it clear that ignoring Fay–& the Fays of this world–is their loss.
Leo received a well-deserved Best Actress Oscar Nomination in a great film (Frozen River) & after that, she received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in a mediocre film (The Fighter). So after years of struggle up from her days on the TV show Homicide, it’s great to see her combine these roles–the wonderful ones & the ones that pay.
Now our job is to support her–and Enid Zentelis–as they make luminous films from the woman’s POV!
Note that Bottled Up is available on Amazon & On Demand, but you should try to watch it on a big screen if possible. The scenes set on the Hudson River are haunting in their verdant beauty. This is the environment that the rush to expand Hydraulic Fracking asks us to degrade without considering the consequences. (JLH: 4/5)
Highly Recommended by both me & Rich! Click HERE for our FF2 Haiku.
Top Photo: Fay, a nature lover who treats her garden with lavish love, is energized by Becket’s concern about the environment.
Bottom Photo from Left: Sylvie, in trouble again, draws Fay & Becket into a police interrogation.
Photo Credits: ?
Q: Does Bottled Up pass the Bechdel Test? Yes!
Bottled Up is very much a Mother/Daughter story in which two adult women who have always defined themselves in relation to one another learn to differentiate themselves. Although it is difficult & heart-rending, the resolution is a moment of quiet beauty, so hang in there.
“Sylvie” is a real pain-in-the neck & it’s a tribute to Marin Ireland’s acting abilities that we find her so grating. But if it’s hard for us to be in her presence, just think how that has affected Fay.
Co-dependent parenting has rarely been so well captured. Brava!
