Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, Showtime  

Plot: “Inspired by true events. A West Texas single mother wins the lottery and squanders it just as fast, leaving behind a world of heartbreak. Years later, with her charm running out and nowhere to go, she fights to rebuild her life and find redemption.” -IMDB 

Review: The universe has a funny way of introducing me to art at the precise moment I need it. During these rare moments when everything changes and the Earth feels as if it is being thrown off its axis, I encounter a story that lets me know I am not alone. Songs, books, movies, television shows, and/or any of the other countless ways in which people express themselves, it really makes no difference. They all possess the power and potential to be a revelatory experience.  

To Leslie was such an experience for me. For years now, I have struggled with a sibling’s addiction, homelessness, and mental health challenges. Helplessly, I have stood by and watched self-destruction become the dominant force. I have felt powerless, confused, and heartbroken. My family is not unique in this struggle, but the feeling of loneliness and isolation remains.  

When we first meet Leslie (Andrea Riseborough), she is celebrating having just won the lottery outside of a dive bar in her small West Texas town. In that moment of pure joy, everything seems possible. A house, a fresh start, and a better life for her son, James (Owen Teague) feels within reach.  

The next time we meet Leslie, she is homeless, living in a doorway. Surviving and feeding her addiction seem to be the only things that matter, at least on the surface. At this point in the story, it is not abundantly clear how Leslie arrived at such a place. The biggest concern before her is our question to be answered. How much longer can she survive?  

Her son, James, knows the burn of past failures and broken promises at the hands of his mother. Despite his pain, he responds to an innate familial duty and takes his mother in with some conditions. She must make a plan and she cannot keep drinking. Of course, it does not take Leslie long to succumb to her addiction. For me, these scenes are powerful examples of what it means to love an addict and the shame surrounding such a disorder.  

Frustrated and out of options, Leslie returns to West Texas to live with Nancy (Allison Janney) and Dutch (Stephen Root); bikers she knew before everything went south. As we transition into this phase of the movie, the overarching challenge of the film reveals itself. Will Leslie rise above her circumstances? Can she secure a place to live and hold a job, or will her addiction win the war?  

In countless ways, this move feels like a country song personified. Back in her hometown, Leslie confronts the shadows of a former life, a culture where drinking is the social norm, and people who will never let you rise above your worse sins. With this immense pressure weighing on her shoulders, Leslie hits rock bottom. Like so many characters in those country songs, the darkness can consume, or it can show you the light.  

For Leslie, her lowest moment illuminates a path forward. She quits cold turkey, devotes herself fully to a new job as a housekeeper at a local motel, and slowly begins a journey down the road to redemption.  

With a lot of humor and heart, this movie pulls back the curtain and asks the audience to experience life as an addict and as the people who love them. For me, I did not expect this film to hit so close to home, but I am so thankful for the journey. My road to forgiveness begins with empathy and this film provided that opportunity.  

Be good to each other,  

Nathan