Hollow in the Land

This movie had a strong performance from the lead actress (who is best known for her role in the TV show Glee), yet I never really felt fully pulled into the stakes of the story. The film was in a similar vein to Winter's Bone in that a young woman is trying to hold her broken family together in an atmosphere of poverty and crime. When the woman's brother becomes the #1 suspect in a murder, she sets off to find him - and the truth. I think that some people will really love this movie, but it a little too slow and dreary for me. Overall, it was decent and it had a moody, atmospheric tone to it.

A VERY good story that takes its time to unfold revealing layers of emotional roller coaster rides down a rabbit hole of stellar performances from each and every actor. Also love the color grading and the music of post production which sets the entire mood for the movie. Awesomeness to a T!

Why don't we see her in more movies? She gave a really good performance (talking about Agron, of course). This is one of the better indies I've seen in awhile. Very low budget, but that didn't deter from keeping my attention. If you're in the mood for a good small town murder/who done it movie,, then go watch it!

If the characters of "Hollow in the Land" had been slightly more bizarre and if the film had been graced with an eerie soundtrack, this might have been an episode of "Twin Peaks." The action takes place in a small, picturesque town in Western Canada. But the residents of Castlegar are too busy with custody battles, crime, drugs, and covering up their dirty laundry to take note of the beautiful landscape. The narrative focuses on the character of Ally Miller, who is La Femme Nikita transplanted to the Pacific Northwest. Ally turns into a kinetic private eye as she attempts to clear the name of her young brother, who has been placed in her custody after the incarceration of their father, Keith Miller, who was convicted of vehicular manslaughter. The young lad that was killed by the drunken Mr. Miller was Eli Balkoff, the son of the two town local scions, Helen and Jim Balkoff, who run the Balkoff paper mill where Ally works. Mr. and Mrs. Balkoff have recently dedicated their efforts to building a Center for Misguided Youth in their community, of which there are plenty of examples of juvenile delinquency. Amid the degeneracy of Castlegar, Ally Miller steps up to the plate to track down the culprits who have framed her little bro, Brandon Miller. Along the way, Ally learns that nearly all of the residents are guarding personal secrets. Two of the most intriguing characters are a pair of elderly women who have for years been growing pot, unbeknownst to the member of the community. Those women may hold the key to collective past of the town that will unlock the secrets to the great antipathy felt towards the Miller family. The irony of the townspeople is that everyone seems to know everyone else and makes it their personal business to be nosy. And yet, in the end, they really do not know each other's deepest secrets. One of the colorful placenames is that of Snob Hill, where Ally is led to another one of her clues. In this sleepy little trailer park community of Castlegar, it turns out that there really are some social snobs, who may help Ally to undercover the tragic underbelly of her dysfunctional world.

Do towns like this actually exist? I think if I lived in that town like that, I'd be out of there and never look back. Decently acted but not entertaining.

It's been a year since Keith Miller got locked up for running over the Balkoff boy. His kids, Alison 'Al' (Dianna Agron) and Brandon, are outcasts and can't escape his infamy in the small mountain town. Darryl (Shawn Ashmore) is a sympathetic cop but the Chief has his sights set on Brandon. Brandon's girlfriend's dad is murdered. The girlfriend's mother Charlene Hinters (Rachelle Lefevre) is Al's lover. Brandon becomes the main suspect and goes missing. Al decides to investigate herself. Agron can't escape her Miss America looks unless she does a Monster. This is the next best thing. She's not the best actress but she is more than her pretty face. Limited makeup and letting her dye job show does help to give her more heft. This has a great grinding rural ugliness. It's similar to Winter's Bone but inferior. Agron is not Lawrence. The action could be done better. Directing is generally inferior except it does get the mood right. It's a solid entry into the rural crime genre.

Another small town (Canadian in this case) embedded w/secrets which finally (I mean finally) get played out in the last 1/4 of the movie. Enough angst to keep some of us watching, others might bale for better fare elsewhere. Denouement was predictable for most characters. Couple of twists that if you haven't seen this scenario before might catch you. A lot of implausibles (sp) but that's movies. People die, but unlike most movies that feast on blood this movie's scenes of death were not shown which is kind of weird in itself.

This film had me captivated beginning to end! A young woman, Agron struggling to hold it together and keep her brother out of trouble after there father is sent away for murder. The story begins a year after and things get worse. Another murder, this time her brother is the primary suspect and goes missing. Despite the worst odds Agron, sets out to find the truth, evade the police and those out to kill her and find and clear her brothers name! All set in a small suburb of Vancouver B.C in the cold of winter. Who can she trust? What really happened? You feel like you are with her in this dark landscape following the clues with her. Dianna Agron's performance is stellar!

What more can u ask with movies sometimes ; I was entertained from beginning to end the people's confessions seemed a little too easy so that was kinda cheesy other than that I loved this movie

Possible spoiler. Keith Miller has been in jail for a year when the film starts. He robbed a store drunk and then killed a boy on a bicycle. He gets 15 years sitting in a Canadian jail listening to Anne Murray. His daughter Alison (Dianna Agron), the town lesbian, is given guardianship of her 17 year old brother Brandon ( Jared Abrahamson). Brandon spends his time as a miserable teen. When Earl (John Sampson), a man who the whole town hated, is killed, Brandon, the main suspect goes missing and Alison plays Nancy Drew and uncovers secrets about the town. The investigation was "Winterbone" slow. The acting wasn't bad, but the pace needed to be better. Also all of the town secrets come at us at 75 minutes into the film without any real clues. We already have a guy we don't like and know it is going to go to him, but does so in a real idiotic fashion. Guide; F-word. No sex or nudity