Better late than never with this one.

Middle of Nowhere is the best ‘Black’ film I’ve seen in quite awhile.  There’s a version of this story that you could see done in a very over the top fashion, but credit goes to the brilliant cast and director Ava DuVernay that the film never goes there.  Not for a frame.  And as a result, the characters feel real, the situations feel real, and most importantly the dramatic tension of how the story will resolve lasts until the credits come up.

The plot of the story centers around a woman named Ruby, whose husband is incarcerated with years of time ahead of him.  Does she stick it out with him, or does she move on with her life?  As the title of the film implies, Middle of Nowhere is filled with double meanings (literal places and their symbolic counterparts).  As an audience you never feel like the message is being beat over your head because…there are no easy answers.  As we learn about the main characters, you feel a level of sympathy for all of them.  There are no true ‘villains’ here, just people dealing with the hand life dealt them.  Ava already took home Best Director at Sundance, and the early buzz is there’s going to be a push for a Best Screenplay nomination.  It would be well deserved. Very well deserved.

Glad I was still able to catch this one on the big screen.  If you haven’t yet, I think it’s worth your time.