Holler

As "Holler" (2020 release; 90 min.) opens, a teenage girl is running away with two large bags of empty cans. We soon learn that she is Ruth, a high school student in rural southeastern Ohio. She and her brother Blaze are barely getting by, delivering scrap metal to the local scrap yard. Their mom is serving time in the Jackson County jail on unspecified drug charges. On top of all that, the house where Ruth and Blaze are staying at has no running water and several eviction notices... At this point we are 10 min. Into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the feature-length debut of writer-producer-director Nicole Riegel, adapting her 2016 short film of the same name into a feature length. The story is as familiar as it is depressing: working class people in the Midwest who are barely getting by and are literally hanging on by a thread, both economically, socially and emotionally. The difference with this film, as opposed to, say the god-awful 2020 film adaptation of "Hillbilly Elegy", is that you pretty quickly are invested in these characters, in particular Ruth and Blaze, fighting astronomical odds to make it through. A movie like this wouldn't be complete without a Trump reference, and he appears in several TV clips, talking about how he, and only he, can turn this around. Except of course that once in office, he didn't lift a finger for people like the Ruth and Blaze characters and absolutely nothing changed during his term in office. Politics aside, this movie is indeed riveting and depressing at the same time. The no-name cast performs admirably, in particular British actress Jessica Barden in the lead role of Ruth. We surely have not seen the last of her.

"Holler" was supposed to premiere at the 2020 SXSW festival, yes almost a year and a half ago. But then a little thing called COVID-19 changed the world. The movie finally received a low-profile select theater release this past weekend. The Sunday early evening screening where I saw this at in my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, was attended poorly: exactly 3 people, including myself. To be honest, I cannot see this playing much longer in theaters. For that the movie is too bleak and too depressing, if riveting. If you have any interest in watching a tough movie about hoe people deal with economic depression, I'd readily suggest you check it out, be it in a theater (if you still can), on Amazon Instant Video or another streaming service, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Greetings again from the darkness. Life in the Midwest rustbelt is often portrayed in movies, but rarely with the authenticity displayed in the first feature film from writer-director Nicole Riegel. These are hard-working folks who maintain hope and keep pushing through the challenges brought on by the collapse of the factory world that left generations in its wake. It's a spinoff of Ms. Riegel's own 2015 short film of the same name, and the story is inspired by her own upbringing in Ohio.

Jessica Barden stars as Ruth, a very bright high school senior who is struggling along with her dropout older brother Blaze (Gus Halper) to make ends meet while mom (Pamela Adlon, the voice of Bobby on "King of the Hill") is in jail due to opioids. Dad is out of the picture. As smart as she is, Ruth is teetering on the line of graduation since she misses so much school time while hustling the streets with her brother looking for aluminum cans to redeem, or any other way to make a few bucks. Despite their lack of funds, Blaze submitted a college application for Ruth without her knowing, and now that she's been accepted, money becomes the focus.

Desperation leads to poor decisions, and soon Ruth and Blaze are working for Hark (Austin Amelio, "The Walking Dead") the owner of a local metal scrap yard. At night, brother and sister join the crew for illegal scrapping at closed factories. It's dangerous work, but the pay is good. The dynamic between older brother Blaze and younger sister Ruth is interesting. He realizes his future looks something like what he's doing now - scratching and clawing for everything. But he sees that Ruth has a path to a brighter future and he strives to keep her focused on that.

Family is key here, and Ruth struggles with how best to deal with her mother. It takes Aunt Linda (Becky Ann Baker, A SIMPLE PLAN, 1998) to explain how Ruth's mother is a victim of the medical profession over-prescribing the pain killers that caused the downfall. In a town that's slowly dying (plants closing), and folks fighting to stay out of poverty, this situation is all too common.

Jessica Barden is memorable from her turn as the friend in HANNA (2011) and from THE END OF THE F***ING WORLD (2017), but this could be a star-making role for her. She is outstanding in much the way Jennifer Lawrence was in WINTER'S BONE (2010), although this movie isn't quite at that level. It's a star turn for Ms. Barden and an impressive debut for director Riegel, who shot in 16mm film - a rarity for indie films. The story and characters are never quite as bleak as what we expect, though the ending is a bit too predictable ... and we are happy for it. You might want to see this one if for no other reason than it's a likely career turning point for both Jessica Barden and Nicole Riegel.

OPENS IN SELECT THEATERS AND ON DEMAND/DIGITAL ON FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021.

Ruth Avery (Jessica Barden) is a teenager living in a dying industrial American town. With her older brother, they steal recyclables to sell to a junkyard owned by Hark. Their home is under eviction threat. Their mother Rhonda is in jail and struggling to find rehab. She herself is struggling to graduate from high school since she keeps skipping to go work. She gets an opportunity to attend college, but there are overwhelming hurdles.

This movie paints a compelling picture of a place and a social class. It sets up for a compelling story. Although this story misses some opportunities for greater drama. I'm just looking for a bigger story. I actually thought the brother was the one killed during the incident. That would have been dramatic. Jessica Barden is great, but she is getting a little too old to play a teenager. All in all, this sets up for something good, but the potential is not fully realized.

Depressing topic but just right for everything and so real and good drama and leading actress just awesome ! Nothing huge about this movie but just got its charm.

I lived this story in the Rustbelt of Ohio. Dad wouldn't pay for college because he didn't believe God wanted girls to be educated. Discovered Early Admissions to the local college but never knew I could've gone anywhere else. Worked for 18 years bartending and waiting tables to finally get my Ph. D. This movie is authentic.