To Leslie

 

      Andrea Riseborough is sensational and fully deserving of her Academy Award nomination for the lead role in this Indie drama.

     Ms. Riseborough stars as Leslie, an alcoholic single mother who years earlier won $190,000 in the Texas lottery but lost it all to drink and drugs. After abandoning her young son and hitting rock bottom, she attempts to get her life back on track but with little success. Years later, her son now grown, Leslie tries to reunite with him but falls into old habits and he tells her to leave.

      Returning to her home in Braddock Texas, life is still difficult for her, but Leslie's life starts to change for the better when she meets Sweeny, played by Marc Maron. The film also co-stars Allison Janney, Andre Royo, Owen Teague and Stephen Root.

       It's a tale of redemption that we've all seen before but Ms. Riseborough's commitment to the role is fierce. She inhabits Leslie with a raw depth of emotion that makes you ache for her failures and root for her little victories. It is her finest performance to date.