‘Little Woods’ review — Tessa Thompson goes against the system

Little Woods, Nia DaCosta’s directorial debut, finds two sisters going up against a system that doesn’t want them to succeed in

One sentence review: Little Woods is a quiet, well-directed character-driven drama that features a powerhouse emotional performance by Tessa Thompson.

One paragraph review: Though it may be on the nose at times, Little Woods is a tense and emotional look at the political issues we’re arguing about today are that affecting people’s lives — from the opioid crisis to access to healthcare. However, much of its success lies in a quiet, but powerful performance by Tessa Thompson.

Where to watch Little Woods: Available to buy on Amazon.

Take a trip to Little Woods. Full review after the jump ?

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Little Woods follows in the vein of Hell or High Water as it follows sisters Ollie (Tessa Thompson off of her banner year last year) and Deb (Lily James) as they struggle against the institutions in the US that force them to turn to compromise their morals to survive.

Ollie is ten days away from the end of her probation for peddling drugs from Canada across the border into Little Woods, North Dakota in an ironic twist on the narrative the president is trying to drive. It’s not like she didn’t have a reason. Her mom was sick and suffering like most people in the cold rural oil town. She convinces herself of her actions because she is doing good for the people of the town.

However, she’s not only moving prescription medications. She’s also bringing opioids over the border fueling the crisis that is sweeping the country — to her credit, she leaves the actual dealing of the drugs to local Bill (Luke Kirby). But she’s on the track to rehabilitation. Her probation officer Carter (Lance Reddick) even recommended her for a job that would take her out of the oil town.

On the other hand, Deb is living in a van parked in a store parking lot with her son Johnny (Charlie Ray Reid) who she had with her estranged boyfriend Ian (James Badge Dale). And even though she’s barely making enough money to support her and her son, she discovers she’s pregnant.

Ollie, the consummate problem solver, makes a deal with a bank to prevent foreclosure. Unfortunately, that plan involves the sisters coming up with $3,000 in just one week. With their backs against a wall, Ollie risks her bright new future to step back into the drug game and sell to injured oil workers in the town who don’t have enough money to have their injuries looked at in a hospital.

Little Woods is colored — perhaps too broadly — with themes around the US government’s failure of working-class citizens. Particularly around healthcare and the economic depression of blue-collar workers. And the movie is effective in delivering an impactful story around those themes. If anything, the biggest criticism is that the script is a bit too polished and on the nose — Deb at one point even says, “being pregnant costs $8,000?”

The movie is a slow burn character drama until the last 30 minutes where DaCosta proves why she will be directing the Jordan Peele-produced Candyman remake. Her grasp of suspense and tension is impressive as Ollie and Deb’s plan sets into motion. Brian McOmber’s droning score adds to the overwhelming sense of dread — he scored Krisha and It Comes at Night to similar effect — and cinematographer Matt Mitchell captures the vast emptiness of the plains to mirror the bleakness of the story.

But so much of the movie rides on the back of Tessa Thompson’s rich performance. Ollie is an enigma of a character. She feels both broken down and empowered by her circumstances. Broken down because there are institutions set in place that oppress people like her’s ability to live and empowered because she’s resentful enough to do something about it. Thompson has proved herself in genre fare like Annihilation and Sorry to Bother You, this movie gives her the chance to flex her dramatic chops to great success.

Little Woods isn’t the best version of the “people on the margins” story that has been told in movies like The Florida Project and last year’s criminally overlooked Leave No Trace. Still, it’s a solid debut by a filmmaker with a great future and another step in the ascendance of Tessa Thompson.

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Hey! I’m Karl. You can find me on Twitter here. I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic.

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