Waste of time

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

If I want to spend a few hours out of my day to get to a cinema and spend my money to watch a film, any film, then I want it to be worthwhile. Believe me, Ballast I would have paid for twice, it's that good. And I'll be buying the DVD too.During the Glasgow Film Festival this year, this (to us) obscure, indie film played at a multiplex and my husband - who actually met the director at the London Film Festival - urged me to see it. Why? Because I'm also a filmmaker, so I share with the director, Lance, the desire to eschew the commercial imperative when it comes to telling straight stories.Lance, if you read this - I adored this film. It's everything - flaws and all - that I want to see on screen. The integrity of the cast, no matter where you found them, the screen craft - the photography, script, design, sound, edit, costume, makeup - or judicious lack of - all fell into place. It's what they say about making films - so many get made, but so seldom do the planets align to make a beautiful one. This to me is the bomb. I love it.I wish you every success in your future projects.May Miles Thomas, Elemental Films, UK

While the plaudits for truthfulness are well-deserved, I found myself yawning more than a few times during "Ballast." I really wanted to give this film a chance -- the characters had so much potential to tell us an engaging story. The real tragedy in this tale of near-tragic realism is that the pacing and atmospherics, which for some may bolster the sense of realism, only serve to deaden any spark of story these characters have to tell us. The performances are spot-on, and, with the exception of diction problems on the part of young James, they are technically flawless. But movie characters are not real characters, and when they move through events with the slow and seemingly random momentum of real people in the real world, they fail to engage our interest. While there is much to be said for the film-making -- the cinematography, sound and production design are wonderful -- I can't help but feel these talents were squandered.

Another reviewer compared the technical making of this movie, the look of it to the Dogma style. You can say that, but it doesn't stop there. The story as it is, the pacing of the movie, the characters etc. are all kept with a minimum amount of "action". Of course this serves the overall appeal of the story (drama) very well and the director does a fine job here.It still will leave a few people wanting more excitement, something more magical, something more active. Because to call the main character of the movie active, would be a very big stretch of the word! While I do liked his performance and the movie overall, I struggled with the vote ... I could also have given it a 7 (or a very stretched, for me at least, 8), but I decided against that, because I do think that the movie could have used a little bit more "spice" (something extra)

We saw this at Sundance 2008, and found it to be deliberately slow, but also quite thoughtful as it told the story of a man whose twin brother's suicide devastates him. The story extends to the dead man's ex wife and son and explores the aftermath of the suicide and its effects on these three characters. What makes this film impressive is that the actors involved in almost every role had never acted before. The director revealed to us at the Q&A session that he had gone to churches in the Mississippi Delta and recruited people to be in his film. Also notable is the sound, or lack thereof. Instead of a busy, noisy soundtrack, this was a quiet film with very little music, relying instead on the ambient noise of the area in which it was filmed. We enjoyed the film and wish the director and the actors much success.