If the Dardennes told American stories, they might have made Ballast instead of Rosetta.

I'm sure that Lance Hammer had them in mind when he made this gripping, sometimes terrifying film. Ballast is about a young boy trapped in a nightmarish world that gives him little or no reason to go on living. His father has committed suicide. His mother is a recovering junkie who has to work and thus can't do much to protect her son during the day. His uncle is distraught to the point of paralysis over the suicide. The family business is closed. And the boy isn't interested in school; he's more interested in messing around with drugs, and he's only... what, ten?

It's a bleak but believable story, well-acted, and uncompromising. You have to pay fierce attention to piece together what's happening. But it's worth it. And the film contains what may be my single favorite image of the year--a trick of the light captured by a handheld video camera that looks like something from Close Encounters.

Alas, it won't be available until October 1, as Hammer has decided to self-distribute the film.

It's an exhausting experience, but one I won't soon forget. I encourage you to see it before the year's end, as it deserves consideration for any "best of" lists.

The link isn't working Jeffrey. When you say, "self-distributing," does that mean we'll have to buy it to see it, or will it be available via Blockbuster and such?

Btw, I ran into a guy this week that was telling me about one of your books. I told him, "I know that guy -- haven't seen him in a couple of years but he's a buddy." The dude looked at me in awe: "You KNOW HIM?!"

You are approaching divinity.

Tell him that I used to listen to Carman and had a life-size cardboard Amy Grant in my room. And I still have the complete works of the Thompson Twins, sometimes in multiple formats. I saw Willow on the big screen nine times, and I still like the Ladyhawke soundtrack. That's the best technique I've found to deflect such silliness.

Sorry about the link. I've repaired it.

The trailer.

You really have my interest piqued with this one. Did you catch it in a theater?

Yeah, it played at SIFF this year. Great movie, but very challenging, and somewhat trying in the way it rolls out information about who the heck these people are and what their histories might be.

There's an article about Hammer and the film in the newest issue of Film Comment. It sounds fantastic.

Hmph. They won the "Excellence in Cinematography" award, so maybe it doesn't bother others like it bothers me...but that handheld shake is awful to watch in the opening shot of the trailer. If they were really to follow the Dardennes, they would use Steadicam, I think. The Dardennes' cinematography is so gorgeous partly because it's SO efficient, following the action perfectly without drawing attention to itself.

Elvis Mitchell talked with Lance Hammer last week on The Treatment. Hammer says the Dardannes are not an influence. The similarities are because he and they are both influenced by Bresson.

I just watched it, and yeah, I'd definitely go with Bresson over the Dardennes as an influence here. Charles Burnett, too.

The Dardennes' influence is much more apparent in The Wrestler, which, for whatever reason, is a film that drew a much stronger response from me than did this one. Still, I'm very glad I saw this film. Hammer is one to watch.