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Ballast

Play trailer Poster for Ballast 2008 1h 36m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 79 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Newly widowed by her husband's shocking suicide, recovering addict Marlee (Tarra Riggs) struggles to raise her young son, James (JimMyron Ross), by herself. Inconsolable over the suicide and unequipped to face life without a father, the stunned James reaches out to his estranged uncle Lawrence (Micheal J. Smith Sr.), his father's stoic identical twin. In the wake of their reunion, James sets out on a painful, meandering path that inevitably lands him and his grieving family in grave danger.
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Ballast

Ballast

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Critics Consensus

A searing debut by director Lance Hammer, this subtle and contemplative Mississippi set drama lingers long after its conclusion.

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Critics Reviews

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Philip French Guardian Mar 22, 2011
The opening half hour is electrifying, the ending interestingly open-ended... Go to Full Review Tim Robey Daily Telegraph (UK) Mar 18, 2011
4/5
Quite a debut here from writer-director Lance Hammer, working on a minuscule budget in the Mississippi Delta, and evoking a memorably forlorn kind of regional specificity. Go to Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian Mar 17, 2011
3/5
A difficult, subdued film, but intelligent and with more intricacy and subtlety than at first appears. Go to Full Review Joanne Laurier World Socialist Web Site Mar 5, 2021
The storyline is direct and the characters well-sketched. The film revolves around the impact of a suicide on the family of a convenience store owner. Go to Full Review David Lamble Bay Area Reporter Jun 2, 2020
This moving debut effort combines edgy camerawork, a stark story and a cast of inspired non-professionals. Go to Full Review Lucy Popescu CineVue Dec 24, 2018
3/5
Ballast packs a punch and its raw, visceral quality is hard to forget. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kyle M @RT79073636 Oct 7, 2025 Less fun than pouring vinegar over a paper-cut. You know a movie is going to suck if you see "searing" in the description. Because it ALWAYS means 'boring, depressing, and lots of scenes of people shouting and/or sobbing hysterically." See more Mar 7, 2017 Blistering indie about a kid drawn in by a drug gang, his mother trying to juggle working and keeping her son from the drug culture, all within the quiet of rural Missouri bleakness. A bit confusing at the start, and a missed opportunity to be elliptical in the end, it never lags, and it draws you in to the point you can't look away. These pensive characters offer unspoken complexities, and a part of you knows this is thinly veiled reality. The organic nature of the narrative its almost stunning to observe. Tho not as intensely volatile as Winter's Bone w Jennifer Lawrence - a MUST SEE - but with the same style and veracity. There is also a measure of New Jersey Drive gang mentality thrown in, and no one is safe. A solid work from a first time director. 4 out of 5 coldly overcast souls See more Jan 11, 2014 The prevalent theme is the feeling of sadness. But there are many other minute details of the hard and rough life, broken relations, gangs, drugs and violence. All the people in the films are totally non-professionals. There is no use of background music and no artificial lighting either. The deserted lackluster landscape and surroundings add to the feeling of sadness of the characters themselves. Above all it is also a profound character study. See more Aug 4, 2013 Intricate, detailed and beautifully filmed. You are captivated by the images and dark colours from the opening scene leaving you to thirst for more. The depth of the characters and the performances from the cast pulls you right in. A near perfect drama. See more inta k @intuciic Apr 24, 2013 i guess it might have been pretty good movie, but it somehow didnt touch me.. See more Aug 21, 2012 A "searing, subtle and contemplative debut"? Maybe, if you're a white critic plagued by some sense of suburban white guilt and too scared to say "It's boring, and the characters are annoying." Beautifully shot, though. See more Read all reviews
Ballast

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Cast & Crew

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Lance Hammer

Director

Micheal J. Smith Sr.

Lawrence

JimMyron Ross

James

Tarra Riggs

Marlee

Johnny McPhail

John

Jimez Alexander

Teen

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Ballast

Ballast (2008) Ballast (2008) JimMyron Ross as James in "Ballast." JimMyron Ross as James and Micheal J. Smtih Sr. as Lawrence in "Ballast." Micheal J. Smtih Sr. as Lawrence in "Ballast." JimMyron Ross as James and Tarra Riggs as Marlee in "Ballast." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Newly widowed by her husband's shocking suicide, recovering addict Marlee (Tarra Riggs) struggles to raise her young son, James (JimMyron Ross), by herself. Inconsolable over the suicide and unequipped to face life without a father, the stunned James reaches out to his estranged uncle Lawrence (Micheal J. Smith Sr.), his father's stoic identical twin. In the wake of their reunion, James sets out on a painful, meandering path that inevitably lands him and his grieving family in grave danger.
Director
Lance Hammer
Producer
Nina Parikh, Lance Hammer
Screenwriter
Lance Hammer
Distributor
Alluvial Filmworks
Production Co
Alluvial Film Company
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 1, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 27, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$76.2K
Runtime
1h 36m
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