As pressures for Derek's case build, Ruby's life becomes increasingly constricted. ![]() Flashbacks during the film depict Derek's arrest and, along with encounters with one of Derek's friends, Rashad, suggest that Ruby has not been aware of everything that Derek had been doing. Ruby is a registered nurse in Compton, California, who had been working to become a doctor and now dedicates most of her time to visiting her husband Derek in prison and helping him to get paroled early. Dramatic Film at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The film was the winner of the Directing Award for U.S. Though “Middle of Nowhere” is very much a character piece, it benefits from some intricate plotting, and going where you think it will go is not on this film’s mind.Middle of Nowhere is a 2012 independent feature film written and directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick and Lorraine Toussaint. That would be Brian, delicately played by David Oyelowo in a role very different from his work in “The Paperboy.” The sweet-natured Brian is one of the bus drivers on the route Ruby takes home from her hospital work, and when he bumps into her in a more social situation, the attraction he feels toward her is palpable. The possibility arises that Derek may qualify for early parole and, simultaneously, another man tries to find footing in her life. ![]() With all this as backdrop, two things happen that upend Ruby’s world. ![]() A more compelling supporting part will not be seen this year. Acerbic, difficult and always on everyone’s case, Ruth is a pitiless teller of truths who feels betrayed when her bitter honesty causes her children to push her away. Persuasively played by Lorraine Toussaint, Ruth takes your breath away. The only people Ruby has let into her life during Derek’s absence are her sister Rosie (Edwina Findley) - a single parent who is tireless in pursuit of enjoyment for herself and Ruby - and their mother, the unnerving Ruth. One of Corinealdi’s assets as an actress is a compassionate, yearning face that subtly registers a whole range of emotions. With that, “Middle of Nowhere” quickly cuts to four years later, and one look at Ruby shows us that those years have taken a toll on her. “You’re on your way to something, don’t stop,” to which Ruby replies, emphasis on the first word, “ We were on our way.” ![]() “Don’t do this, don’t be a martyr,” he tells her in one of the film’s many taut exchanges. A registered nurse enrolled in medical school, she is determined to drop out to devote more time to her husband and his case, a level of self-sacrifice that Derek is uncomfortable accepting. There is real love here but also frustration born not only of personalities but also of the different ways men and women perceive what they should and should not be doing in relationships.ĭerek is just starting an eight-year sentence, but Ruby wants to focus on the five years it could be cut to with good behavior. Rather the focus is on the couple’s relationship and, gradually, on a different kind of journey that Ruby is making, the classic one of self-actualization, of finding yourself when you feel emotionally in the middle of nowhere, a journey that allows for no shortcuts or easy answers.įrom the beginning, it’s clear that the bond between Ruby and Derek is not to be simply summarized. It takes quite a while to find out why Derek is inside, because the nature of his crime is not what’s important here.
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