# Frozen River (2008)

> Two desperate single mothers risk everything on a frozen border-smuggling route to keep their families afloat.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/movie/5293

## Facts

- Runtime: 97 min
- Genres: Drama, Crime
- Director: Courtney Hunt
- Cast: Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott, John Canoe, Jay Klaitz, Dylan Carusona, James Reilly, Michael O'Keefe
- TMDB rating: 6.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0978759/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Mood: grim, tense, austere, serious movie night, winter viewing

## Synopsis

Two desperate mothers navigate a treacherous world of smuggling across a frozen river, risking everything for survival.

## Movies like Frozen River

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- [The Weight (2026)](https://ember.film/movie/7411410)
- [Heaven Knows What (2015)](https://ember.film/movie/170778)
- [Finestkind (2023)](https://ember.film/movie/350205)
- [American Woman (2018)](https://ember.film/movie/217535)
- [Lost Girls (2020)](https://ember.film/movie/396746)
- [A Thousand and One (2023)](https://ember.film/movie/609273)
- [Miss Bala (2019)](https://ember.film/movie/344803)
- [Paradise Highway (2022)](https://ember.film/movie/856396)
- [Icefall (2025)](https://ember.film/movie/2988856)

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