Frozen River

Frozen River is set in a small town on the border between New York State and Quebec, in the days before Christmas. Ray Eddy, a mother of two, has been left without money after her gambling husband disappears, ending the family's plan to move out of their deteriorating trailer. While trying to find him, she encounters Lila Littlewolf, a Mohawk woman who lives near the St. Lawrence River, which freezes over in winter and becomes a route for bringing people into the United States illegally. Lila introduces Ray to the smuggling trade, and Ray, desperate to provide for her sons, agrees to work with her.

The film was directed and written by Courtney Hunt. Melissa Leo plays Ray, Misty Upham plays Lila, and the cast includes Charlie McDermott as TJ, John Canoe as Bernie Littlewolf, Jay Klaitz as Guy Versailles, and Dylan Carusona as Jimmy. It was produced by Heather Rae and Chip Hourihan through Cohen Media Group and Harwood Hunt Productions. Made on a budget of about one million dollars, it went on to earn roughly five million worldwide.

It holds a rating of 6.6 out of 10 on TMDB, from 368 votes, while critics gave it 7.3 out of 10 from 139 reviews. Frozen River was Hunt's first feature and appears first among the two films she has directed, ahead of The Whole Truth in 2016.