Middle of Nowhere

2012

Middle of Nowhere

Critics Consensus

Wise, compassionate, and beautifully acted, Middle of Nowhere offers an early testament to writer-director Ava DuVernay's startling talent.

88%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 50

64%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 2,640
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Movie Info

Winner of the Best Director Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Middle of Nowhere follows Ruby, a bright medical student who sets aside her dreams and suspends her career when her husband is incarcerated. As the committed couple stares into the hollow end of an eight-year prison sentence, Ruby must learn to live another life, one marked by shame and separation. But through a chance encounter and a stunning betrayal that shakes her to her core, this steadfast wife is soon propelled in new and often shocking directions of self-discovery - caught between two worlds and two men in the search for herself. -- (C) Official Site
  • Rating:
    R (for some language)
  • Genre:
    Drama
  • Directed By:
    Ava DuVernay
  • Written By:
    Ava DuVernay
  • In Theaters:
     limited
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $195,246
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    AFFRM

Cast

Emayatzy E. Corinealdi
as Ruby
David Oyelowo
as Brian
Omari Hardwick
as Derek
Lorraine Toussaint
as Ruth
Edwina Findley Dickerson
as Rosie
Sharon Lawrence
as Fraine

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Critic Reviews for Middle of Nowhere

All Critics (50) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (6)

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Audience Reviews for Middle of Nowhere

  • Jul 03, 2015
    A woman suspends her life to support her imprisoned husband. There is without a doubt something profound, personal, and authentic about this film, which is to the credit of Emayatzy Corinealdi and writer/director Ava DuVernay, but the plot is plodding and slowly rendered. it's hard to make an exciting film about waiting, so part of the film's problem is the story it's trying to tell. Nevertheless, the film has important things to say about gender roles, race relations, and personal growth. Overall, Middle of Nowhere tries to rend the most out of its actors and story, but the film's pace ultimately dooms it.
    Jim H Super Reviewer
  • Oct 23, 2012
    "Middle of Nowhere" starts with Ruby(Emayatzy Corinealdi), a nurse, visiting her husband Derek(Omari Hardwick) at the prison in Victorville. While he is pessimistic about his chances, she reminds him that with good behavior he can get out in five years. Four and half years later, her hope has not diminished a bit, as she still makes regular visits to the prison, on top of her hospital rounds and babysitting for her sister Rosie(Edwina Findley), with their disapproving mother(Lorraine Toussaint) looking on. And then Ruby gets news that Derek may be getting out sooner than even she had thought possible... "Middle of Nowhere" is a well-acted, modest and understated movie. So much so, that even the grandstanding comes off as subtle. As the movie drops pieces of information throughout, some may find Ruby more than a little naive when in fact she had been dropped into an unfamiliar world where so many women have to regularly endure the emotional and economic hardships that she now lives with. In any case, how could you not like a character who likes foreign films?(In this case, "Ali: Fear Eats the Soul.") And, yes, people do ride the bus in Los Angeles.
    Walter M Super Reviewer
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