Little Woods

Director: Nia DaCosta
Year Released: 2018
Rating: 2.0

Almost finished with a stint on probation (for trying to traffic drugs over the U.S.-Canada border), Oleander (Tessa Thompson) lands herself back in the pill-dealing game when she finds out her sister Deb (Lily James) is pregnant, broke and needs a permanent place to stay.  It has a lot of themes that are particularly relevant to today's American society - poverty, recidivism, opioid abuse, problems with affordable health care, single parent households, etc. - although aside from being topical, it largely parlays in grimness and sadness: it even ends with an abortion and more criminal behavior.  There's nothing wrong with paying attention to individuals with lower income who are struggling for the next dollar, but when you don't show a healthy way to salvation you just invite a polite frown from anyone watching.