Remember the last movie you saw that didn’t hit a false note and managed to effortlessly convey important things that you knew (even if you didn’t know that you knew them)?
Me either. These types of movies very seldom come along.
If (and when) they do, it is important to talk about them. It seems the least we can do.
And yet, I’m reluctant to say much about Ballast, for a variety of reasons. For one thing, I just watched it and it’s fresh, and I have a sense that subsequent viewings will reveal layers and nuances that will provide fodder for further discussion. But on another (important) level, I’m not inclined to say too much because the best thing I can say is this: see the movie.
This is the type of film that each person will likely have a unique reaction to, and while the themes are obvious and the feelings invoked are likely to be similar amongst likeminded (i.e., sensitive, intelligent) viewers, there are some profound and complicated realities being dealt with that make criticism and conversation seem overly intellectual and ultimately ineffective.
See the movie.
Full disclosure: it’s not a pleasant experience; it’s not even a particularly enjoyable experience. It is, for all the right reasons, more than that, and the experience will be augmented by whatever baggage and awareness you bring to the table. The more you have, the richer the experience is likely to be. The less you have, the more useful it might be to see this movie.
In closing, I’m deeply grateful that Lance Hammer made this masterpiece, and that he found the perfect actors (all non-professional, which is no coincidence) to help create some of the most perfect scenes it’s possible to capture on film. Did I just use the “p-word”, twice? Yes, I did. And I think that says more, in less words, than I could if I tried.
