By Jane Beckett

When is a boundary not a boundary? The 2008 movie Frozen River takes place on and near the Mohawk Indian Reservation, which sits astride the US-Canada boundary between upstate New York and Quebec. But the St. Lawrence River, which is an international boundary both upstream and downstream from the Rez, is not a boundary to the Mohawk nation.

Not only is the river not a boundary, but many of the laws that apply in the US and in Canada, hold no force on the reservation. In addition, the poverty and isolation that are rampant here and on other reservations in both countries mean that there’s no need to try to exclude opportunity-seekers, because few see opportunity on reservations. And thereby hangs an interesting and cautionary tale of two women, one Mohawk and one white, trying to earn a living in an unpromising environment. Haunted by need, they turn to smuggling Chinese and Pakistani immigrants from Canada to the US across this icy boundary that isn’t guarded because it isn’t a boundary.

But the people they bring in are undocumented, and the New York State Police can stop cars suspected of carrying them once they’re off of Mohawk territory; the risk is high and Ray Eddy (played by Melissa Leo in an Oscar-nominated performance) and Lila Littlewolf (played by Misty Upham in an equally compelling but more understated way) carry a lot of baggage from their pasts.

There’s a stark contrast between the support systems surrounding the two women: Ray is raising her two sons totally alone since the disappearance of her gambler husband – she seems to have no relatives or even friends nearby. Lila, on the other hand, is surrounded by tribal elders who try to get her to be more responsible – they’re in her face and sometimes cruelly so, but at least they care. The heartbreak of separation from her child is written on Lila’s face, and is mirrored in a chilling incident during a river crossing.

Frozen River is a challenging movie; it’s not easy to watch (although there is no violence). It does not argue for stricter immigration enforcement or more lenient; it simply illustrates the fact that boundaries are created by us and that not everyone sees them in the same way.