What Alice Found (2003)

Synopsis: Fed up with her life in New Hampshire, 18-year-old Alice (Emily Grace) gets in her car and heads for Florida to pursue her dreams of being a marine biologist and join a friend who is in college there. But she gets sidetracked after stopping at a rest stop where, according to middle-aged Good... Fed up with her life in New Hampshire, 18-year-old Alice (Emily Grace) gets in her car and heads for Florida to pursue her dreams of being a marine biologist and join a friend who is in college there. But she gets sidetracked after stopping at a rest stop where, according to middle-aged Good Samaritans Sandra (Judith Ivey) and Bill (Bill Raymond), someone apparently punctured her tire. Bill changes the tire for her, and the couple offers to let her follow them on the road to prevent further danger--but after her engine burns out completely several miles later, she has no choice but to hitch a southbound ride with her newfound guardians. Their unusual kindness becomes increasingly suspect, though, when she discovers that Sandra is a truck stop prostitute and Bill is her pimp. Once her initial shock dissipates, though, shy Alice learns that by following Sandra's lead, she can make as much money in a few minutes as she's used to making in a week. With a grainy, digital-video look, A. Dean Bell's frank and surprising road movie is likely to win over all but the least adventurous or most jaded viewer. Ivey is superb and Grace--in a fine debut performance--expertly embodies wide-eyed naiveté. A well-chosen soundtrack enhances the visuals. [More]