Beautifully photographed and wonderfully atmospheric, 'Middle of Nowhere' is former publicist turned writer/director Ava Duvernay's second feature film, which won the best directing award at Sundance. It's about Ruby, a young African-American woman, who gave up going to medical school to wait for her husband Derek, who's doing an eight year bid in the penitentiary after pleading guilty to gun charges.
When we first meet Ruby, she's visiting Derek at the inmate visiting center and appears smitten with him. Cut to four years later and she's still devoted as ever, taking the bus up to visit her bad boy love quite often. But the four years of incarceration have taken its toll on Derek and he hardly seems like the same person when he first went in. The warning signs are there, including a big scar across his neck, which Ruby conveniently ignores but is an obvious sign that he has not adjusted well with his fellow inmates.
When Derek comes up for his first parole hearing, Ruby is convinced that his best chance is to have legal representation when he goes before the Board. The same lawyer that they used originally for Derek's defense, is now available for the parole hearing but she's no longer willing to accept Ruby's payment of fees on installment. Ruby is forced to borrow an additional $750 from her mother, who is unhappy about her aloofness and lack of communication. Also in the mix is Ruby's sister, who doesn't care to involve their mother, in the parenting of her young son.
The plot thickens when Ruby meets a kindly bus driver, Brian. Most of their initial encounters are more tactile than verbal, and not so convincingly, it takes quite awhile before Ruby reveals information about her marriage and that she's separated from a man who is currently incarcerated. At this point, I'm thinking that Derek will be paroled, he'll come home and they'll be some kind of conflict between him and Brian. But Ms. DuVernay opts to go in another direction. At Derek's parole hearing, it's revealed that he's been recently disciplined for a violent confrontation with other inmates in prison and that he may be associated with various gang members. Worse for Ruby, is the revelation that a female correction officer was fired for having a sexual encounter with Derek. This is the straw that breaks the camel's back. Ruby's obsession with Derek gradually dissipates and she's drawn to Brian. And finally, after much soul searching, she decides to end her relationship with Derek, not before one last visit, when she expresses her affection for him, but makes it clear that he and she are no longer a couple (it becomes obvious that the 'bad boy', will not be leaving prison very soon at all!).
The 'Middle of Nowhere' features strong performances from its principals including the talented newcomer Emayatzy Corinealdi as Ruby. The film has tons of wonderful atmosphere and an inviting, folk rock score. Nonetheless, the plot is rather simple and is quite sluggish, focusing on Ruby's gradual moves toward self-actualization. Sacrificed are any real attempts to develop the characters, beyond the distillation of Ruby's crisis of conscience. Brian, in particular, alludes to some early problems with an ex-wife, but we find out hardly anything about him; he's more a plot device to ensure that Ruby doesn't end up stuck in the past, with a husband who's going nowhere.
'Middle of Nowhere' might have worked better if it was a little shorter in length. Despite the intensity of Ruby's relationship with the two men, I found myself growing rather tired of Ruby's self-destructive attraction to Derek. After awhile, it doesn't seem to matter why she's so attracted to him--I was just relieved at film's end, that she finally came to her senses, and gave him up. In this respect, 'Nowhere' is a cautionary tale for women who are attracted to 'bad boys'.
Some of the more interesting moments in "Middle of Nowhere" occur when we get a peak at how the criminal justice system works (the parole hearing is one such example). These moments add to the film's overall heady verisimilitude.
Overall, "Middle of Nowhere' is worth a look. Don't expect any tremendous plot revelations and be prepared for scenes here and there, that drag. Nonetheless, the dialogue and intensity of the performances are a sight to be seen. Overall, the film will impress you, despite the limitations of a weak story line.
When we first meet Ruby, she's visiting Derek at the inmate visiting center and appears smitten with him. Cut to four years later and she's still devoted as ever, taking the bus up to visit her bad boy love quite often. But the four years of incarceration have taken its toll on Derek and he hardly seems like the same person when he first went in. The warning signs are there, including a big scar across his neck, which Ruby conveniently ignores but is an obvious sign that he has not adjusted well with his fellow inmates.
When Derek comes up for his first parole hearing, Ruby is convinced that his best chance is to have legal representation when he goes before the Board. The same lawyer that they used originally for Derek's defense, is now available for the parole hearing but she's no longer willing to accept Ruby's payment of fees on installment. Ruby is forced to borrow an additional $750 from her mother, who is unhappy about her aloofness and lack of communication. Also in the mix is Ruby's sister, who doesn't care to involve their mother, in the parenting of her young son.
The plot thickens when Ruby meets a kindly bus driver, Brian. Most of their initial encounters are more tactile than verbal, and not so convincingly, it takes quite awhile before Ruby reveals information about her marriage and that she's separated from a man who is currently incarcerated. At this point, I'm thinking that Derek will be paroled, he'll come home and they'll be some kind of conflict between him and Brian. But Ms. DuVernay opts to go in another direction. At Derek's parole hearing, it's revealed that he's been recently disciplined for a violent confrontation with other inmates in prison and that he may be associated with various gang members. Worse for Ruby, is the revelation that a female correction officer was fired for having a sexual encounter with Derek. This is the straw that breaks the camel's back. Ruby's obsession with Derek gradually dissipates and she's drawn to Brian. And finally, after much soul searching, she decides to end her relationship with Derek, not before one last visit, when she expresses her affection for him, but makes it clear that he and she are no longer a couple (it becomes obvious that the 'bad boy', will not be leaving prison very soon at all!).
The 'Middle of Nowhere' features strong performances from its principals including the talented newcomer Emayatzy Corinealdi as Ruby. The film has tons of wonderful atmosphere and an inviting, folk rock score. Nonetheless, the plot is rather simple and is quite sluggish, focusing on Ruby's gradual moves toward self-actualization. Sacrificed are any real attempts to develop the characters, beyond the distillation of Ruby's crisis of conscience. Brian, in particular, alludes to some early problems with an ex-wife, but we find out hardly anything about him; he's more a plot device to ensure that Ruby doesn't end up stuck in the past, with a husband who's going nowhere.
'Middle of Nowhere' might have worked better if it was a little shorter in length. Despite the intensity of Ruby's relationship with the two men, I found myself growing rather tired of Ruby's self-destructive attraction to Derek. After awhile, it doesn't seem to matter why she's so attracted to him--I was just relieved at film's end, that she finally came to her senses, and gave him up. In this respect, 'Nowhere' is a cautionary tale for women who are attracted to 'bad boys'.
Some of the more interesting moments in "Middle of Nowhere" occur when we get a peak at how the criminal justice system works (the parole hearing is one such example). These moments add to the film's overall heady verisimilitude.
Overall, "Middle of Nowhere' is worth a look. Don't expect any tremendous plot revelations and be prepared for scenes here and there, that drag. Nonetheless, the dialogue and intensity of the performances are a sight to be seen. Overall, the film will impress you, despite the limitations of a weak story line.