MUBI brings you a great new film every day.  Start your 7-day free trial today!
Watch a new film every day for $4.99.
Try MUBI for FREE.
 

Middle of Nowhere

United States

2012

101 Min
Color
2.35:1
English
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

   |   

DIR Ava DuVernay

PROD Howard Barish, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes

SCR Ava DuVernay

DP Bradford Young

CAST Emayatzy E. Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick, Lorraine Toussaint, Edwina Findley, Sharon Lawrence, Tracie Thoms, Dondre T. Whitfield, Maya Gilbert

ED Spencer Averick

PROD DES Jennifer Spence, Bill Lakoff, Claudia Roque

MUSIC Kathryn Bostic

SOUND Kunal Rajan

Sundance (US Dramatic Competition): Directing Award, Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema), Stockholm (Competition)

Synopsis

What happens when love takes you places you never thought you would go? When her husband, Derek, is sentenced to eight years in a California prison, Ruby drops out of medical school to maintain her marriage and focus on ensuring Derek’s survival in his violent new environment. Driven by love, loyalty, and hope, Ruby learns to sustain the shame, separation, guilt, and grief that a prison wife must bear. Her new life challenges her to the very core of her identity, and her turbulent path propels her in new, often frightening directions of self-discovery.

Ava DuVernay’s elegant and emotionally inspiring debut portrays the universal dilemma of how a woman maintains herself as she commits to loving and supporting someone through hardship. Featuring luminous performances by a cast of rising stars led by Emayatzy Corinealdi and Omari Hardwick, Middle of Nowhere infuses gravity and grace into the prison tale and marks the arrival of an important new directorial talent. –Sundance Film Festival

Director

Original

Ava DuVernay

In addition to her latest feature film, Middle of Nowhere, Ava DuVernay’s directorial work includes the critically acclaimed dramatic feature I Will Follow, as well as the musical documentaries This Is the Life and My Mic Sounds Nice. The UCLA graduate is the founder of the African American Film Festival Releasing Movement, better known as AFFRM. –Sundance 

Wall

Displaying 4 of 7 wall posts.
Picture of Matthew_Lucas

Matthew_Lucas

21Nov12

Ruby drops out of medical school when her husband, Derek, is sent to prison, and devotes her life to seeking his early release. But as things grow more complicated, she begins to understand that Derek may not be the only one who is incarcerated. Beautifully written and directed by Ava DuVernay, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE is a powerfully understated exploration of the mysterious and sometimes complicated nature of love.

Picture of Tisa

Tisa

8Sep12

I saw this in preview in LA a few weeks ago. Brilliantly nuanced, but also devastatingly direct. DuVernay understands love, and relationships, the power of things not said, and narrative editing. Bradford Young has the most beautiful eye for translating her vision. See it.

Picture of Beneezy

Beneezy

24Jun12

I heard plenty of good things about this film. Unfortunately, I missed the showing at the festival this year in Los Angeles. However, I look forward to seeing this so called "the best film this year at the LAFF." Cannot wait anymore longer!

ramosbarajas likes this

Picture of Isiah Donte' Lee

Isiah Donte' Lee

1Feb12

Cant' wait to see this, also excited that Bradford Young lensed this!

DIRECTHER likes this

Related Films

Fans

Displaying 5 of 11 fans.

Articles

Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
W184

Sundance 2012. Awards

By David Hudson on January 29, 2012

An overview of what the critics are saying about the winners.

read article
W184

Sundance 2012. Trailers 1: Competitions

By David Hudson on January 16, 2012

Over 20 trailers for films competing at Sundance so far.

read article

Lists

Displaying 5 of 15 lists.

Reviews

No reviews yet — Write the first

Forum

Displaying 0 discussion topics.