“Little Accidents,” a film displaying the struggles unique to the Rust Belt and coal mining community, premiered this week at the Sundance Film Festival. The film focuses on a clash of ethics between blue-collar families and the corporate community following a tragic accident.
Opening with shots of a coal community similar to the feel of District 12 in “The Hunger Games,” “Little Accidents” focuses on the emotional and physical recovery of Amos Jenkins (Boyd Holbrook, “The Host”). Jenkins comes as close to peace as possible by forming relationships with a high school freshman, Owen (Jacob Lofland, “Mud”), and Diana (Elizabeth Banks, “The Hunger Games”), the wife of one of the mine’s executives, Bill (Josh Lucas, “Glory Road”).
“This shows corporate culture and the slippery slope associated with people under pressure,” said director Sara Colangelo of her feature debut. “This was a story about human beings trying to connect after an accident.”
Tangled in secrets that could mean the end of a way of life, the members of the tiny Appalachian community try to deal with the death of ten coal miners. Jenkins is the only survivor and seems to lose everything, from his father to the use of his right arm. The toxic effects of corporate negligence and silent bitterness of the coal mining families trickle down, causing viewers to predict when Jenkins and Owen will share their secrets in efforts to liberate their consciousness.
Although “Little Accidents” is predictable, Colangelo is able to capture the grit and determination of America’s blue-collar community, while Lofland gives a performance worthy of attention and display of potential.
