To Leslie

Director: Michael Morris
Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Allison Janey Marc Maron, Andre Royo, Owen Teague, Stephen Root, James Landry Hebert, Matt Lauria
Running Time: 119 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)  

There's no mistaking the fact that Michael Morris' To Leslie is all about its gut-wrenching lead turn from English actress Andrea Riseborough as a destitute, alcoholic single mother who squandered her lottery payout. We're shown the consequences, after she's pushed away family and friends, still struggling to escape a tarnished reputation and cycle of self-inflicted emotional punishment. There's actually not much to the story, with a plot comparable to any number of low-budget indie dramas focusing on similarly tortured characters. And yet due to its disarming honesty this still feels like a wake-up call in the midst of bigger, more attention-grabbing releases. The surprises are minimal because the plot doesn't require them, excelling instead by serving up an unflinching look at what's become of this woman's life and why. 

As a low-key character study, this hits familiar notes, but has a lived-in quality stays with you, making it easier to understand why Riseborough pulled out all the stops in drawing eyes to a film and performance that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. With a career built on how anonymously she slides into each role, this is her biggest disappearing act, bolstered in part by a co-star who hasn't gotten nearly the attention he deserves. All of this would seem tired or cliched without the power these performances breathe into the material, resulting in one of the more painfully realistic recent takes on alcoholism depicted onscreen.

When Leslie Rowlands (Riseborough) won $190,00 in a West Texas lottery six years ago it was supposed to cure all her personal and financial troubles. Instead, she blew it on liquor and is now a penniless alcoholic living out of motels, roaming the streets and hitting bars. After being kicked out of her latest residence, she reunites with estranged 20 year-old son James (Owen Teague), who agrees to let her move in with him provided she doesn't drink and looks for a job. Their arrangement barely lasts a day, with Leslie hitting the bottle again and spiraling downward.

Old friend Nancy (Allison Janey) and her boyfriend Dutch (Stephen Root) temporarily allows Leslie to stay with them, but they're quickly fed up with the late night boozing and send her packing. After being found sleeping outside the local motel, its manager Sweeney (Marc Maron) offers her work and a free room, much to owner Royal's (Andre Royo) disapproval. Generous and patient with his new employee, Sweeney gives Leslie what could be a last chance at getting sober and changing her life's direction. But with a town full of people constantly reminding her of the past, it'll be an uphill battle.

Leslie's gone completely off the deep end, but what really stands out are everyone's reactions to her. Son James is forced to be the parent, disciplining and caring for his mom as if she's a child, while others choose to either ignore the embarrassing public displays, enable her, or just express a mixture of sometimes justifiable pity and anger. Sweeney is the only one to offer help without judgment, a reaction that at least partially stems from his own history. But the problem is that Leslie's already been given chances and couldn't stay sober long enough to capitalize on them, manipulating those closest to her to feed this ongoing addiction. 

In one particularly humiliating scene, Leslie gets wasted at her hometown bar and publicly acts out, oblivious to how it's being received. And while you do sympathize with her frustrated son, there's a whole contingent of bored, miserable townsfolk more than willing to rub her nose in it. Sweeney's the exception in that he's almost too trusting, sticking himself out there for Leslie in ways that could personally and professionally damage him. Maron impresses as this lonely, benevolent man whose interest in her plight is genuine, even as he second guesses the practicality of his risky commitment. 

Maron makes for an ideal sparring partner, delivering his most natural, low-key screen work thus far, elevating Riseborough in the process. Speaking with a Texas twang and appearing almost unrecognizably gaunt and disheveled, she somehow conveys Leslie's plight without resorting to histrionics or showy mannerisms. The character puts on a show, but it's a tragic one, through which you see glimpses of a better person occasionally peeking through. 

Beyond getting sober, the toughest part for Leslie is reconciling the awful choices she's made with where she is now, admitting she deserves help before betting on herself to accept it. The film opens with home video footage of her lottery win, and while the amount isn't a colossal windfall, her reaction reveals just how big a difference it could have made. Beaming enthusiastically about goals and plans that never come to pass, the money ultimately proves to be more of a curse than any kind of life improving reward.

Writer Ryan Binaco (whose tightly woven script is partially inspired by his own relationship with his mother) shows how Leslie continues to run from that lotto victory while struggling to regain whatever hope it once represented. The ending is somewhat convenient but earned, providing a tangible glimmer of hope she'll now have to follow through on. But regardless of how depressing it may be to revisit, To Leslie is still somewhat of a hard luck redemption story, bolstered by a performance that ensures the film won't be so easily forgotten.