Little Woods (2018) Reviews

• Solid attempt using diversity quotas

  jcollins-039842019-04-26

  I admire the effort of someone to make a movie about something they aren't directly involved in - but as far as a cinematic experience and story execution, this was more suited as a TV movie than an independent release. The lead was clearly out of place and used as the AA foil in a white world when it doesn't exist in North Dakota, and the story was flaccid with a mini lifetime moment at the end. As an educated minority, I don't feel the need to big up or hype a project just because it was created by a minority .. 95% of reviewers who operate with some sense of white guilt which is why Jordan Peele, Kaling etc.'s mediocre attempts at putting colors in place of formulaic white stories are seen as award worthy - I judge based on merit and story alone. The acting was weak, although Lily James and the parole officer played their roles well. Really wish it was done better because the elements were all there. Nonetheless, I will watch the director's next feature with a bigger budget because I do root for improvement but do not blindly give out participation trophies just because you check a box.

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• Cinematic, suspenseful, and just a wuality feature

  fruthalex2019-04-11

  Got to see it last year at the Heartland Film Festival and very much enjoyed myself. For a first time writer-director I thought Nia DaCosta did a terrific job. Tessa Thompson is always great but I was very happily surprised by Lily James! I had no idea that she was Cinderella in the live action remake. All around good film, cant imagine why people on imdb dont seem to like it.

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• Amazing !!!

  sagarkumar-253972019-04-28

  Amazing movie that tells a great story and never strays away from the main character. Perfect film, beautifully written, you can feel the sister's struggle, and their determination.

• Tense family drama... "Your choices are only as good as your options"

  paul-allaer2019-05-18

  "Little Woods" (2018 release; 103 min.) brings the story of sisters Ollie and Deb. As the movie opens, Ollie is burying a package of some sort in the woods somewhere in North Dakota (only much later do we learn what is in that package). We get to know Ollie, as she is coming closer to ending her probation (for dealing opioids). "You are so close, please stay out of trouble", her probation officer implores. But Ollie's house is about to be foreclosed on. Meanwhile Deb is in an even tougher spot: she lives in a trailer on a parking lot, along with her young son. Then she finds out that she is pregnant... At this point we are less than 15 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 from African-American writer-director Nia DaCosta, and what a debut this is! Almost from the get-go, the situation is tense, and the mood is grim, as Ollie and Deb are coping with a tough playing field (or as John Mellencamp once observed: "doing the best they can"). The odds are stacked against them, and it never seems to get any better, on the contrary. The movie benefits enormously from the lead performers: Tessa Thompson is masterful as Ollie, and I doubt we will see her again in such a small indie movie anytime soon ("Men In Black: International" is next up for her, if you get my drift). British actress Lily James plays Deb, and she also is clearly on her way to bigger things (next up for her: "Yesterday"). When deep into the movie Ollie and Deb assess their situation, which looks dire, Ollie wryly comments "Your choices are only as good as your options". DaCosta captures it all perfectly, and this is frankly an amazing and impressive debut film that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. "Little Woods" premiered at last year's Tribeca film festival, yes over a year ago! No idea why it has taken this long to get a theatrical release, but better late than not I suppose. The movie opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and I couldn't wait to see it. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was not attended well (5 people, including myself), which is a darn shame. Hopefully the movie will find a larger audience as it is released on other platforms. If you are in the mood for a tense family drama with outstanding lead performances, you could do a lot worse than "Little Woods". Of course I encourage you to check it out, be it in the theater (if you still can), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

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• Really well done

  Red_Identity2019-05-12

  This is a subtle, slow-burn drama with two fantastic lead performances at its core. Recommended.