Little Woods

In the town of Little Woods, North Dakota, just south of the Canadian border, Ollie (Tessa Thompson) is sitting out the last weeks of her probation, having been caught importing Canadian medications, initially to help her dying mother and later to make a profit on the needs of the townspeople. At the end of her probation she plans on leaving town and giving her house to her estranged sister, Deb (Lily James)– but bank demands and Deb’s unwanted pregnancy means money’s unexpectedly tight (with an abortion also much easier and less expensive across the border)  and the temptation to do the crossing again begins to build…

I’ve been wanting to see Tessa Thompson in a lead for a while now and this certainly does have that – it’s not a perfect film, unfortunately (the tension sorta dribbles away during the last twenty minutes) but for much of its length it’s a strong study in people with limited options up against desperate circumstances. There’s a strong authentic feel to this small town made up of people living in desperation, and Thompson winds her way through the conflicting agendas that come up intriguingly – Llily James less so (she’s not the actress I would have first thought of for the role of a middle-of-nowhere single mum with no money and no prospects, and while she’s not actively horrible, she’s not outstanding either). The social issues that underlie this are obvious but this never descends into overt preachiness so much as being an active living demonstration of the effects of these issues on real people. There’s a nice authenticity to this, even If I wish this paid off in a more definitive and dramatic way.