The writer, director and lead actress have artfully created a character very real to me. My Mom was as truly full of the joie d' vivre as anyone I ever met -- yet she lost her youngest child two weeks before my Dad left for combat in WW II. Eighteen months later -- just two weeks before VJ Day -- she received that dreaded telegram that said he had been killed in the Pacific. I was only six -- but that day is burned in memory. Over the next ten years I watched her struggle in and out of three bad marriages. Finally she found a good man. Yet she NEVER lost her joie d'vivre. She taught me the power of FUN and laughter -- no matter how poor we got -- or how much we had to face the predatory abusers or self-righteous "do-gooders". What a powerful film!! WELL DONE!! ==== LATER COMMENT Have since read other comments. The comments of those who slammed this film seem to come from folks who have not seen much (if any) "poor" or "tough" in their lives -- and don't seem to know the South. Having also lived in SoCal, I would not expect some from LA to either empathasize with or enjoy the story. That it wasn't slick made it seem real to me. Even when you don't admire everything about a parent -- you can admire courage and a sense of humor when facing adversity.
Review of Tumbleweeds
