Limbo MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 1/2 Content: -2

It's been 25 years since a terrible accident forced Joe (David Straitharn) to give up commercial fishing in Alaska. Now, he does odd jobs around a small town in Alaska. Donna (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), a singer at the local bar and a single mother, changes boyfriends every few weeks. Her teenage daughter, Noelle (Vanessa Martinez), is a very lonely, sad girl who has a crush on Joe. Donna and Joe meet and fall in love, much to Noelle's consternation, but she finally agrees to go with them on an overnight boat trip. Now the romantic flavor of LIMBO turns sinister as the three find themselves in a life or death situation. They are stranded on a remote island with no food or shelter and no boat. In their struggle to survive, the three discover what real family is all about and realize they have been "in limbo" all their lives. John Sayles wrote and directed this compelling drama set in beautiful Alaska. The combination of romance, humor and drama, plus a shocking ending will have you thinking about LIMBO long after the theater lights come on.

Certainly Donna leaves much to be admired as a role model for her daughter. As the film opens, Donna is breaking up with a musician she and Noelle have shared a motel room with for three weeks. But Donna has set her sites on Joe within minutes of her breakup. Instead of becoming a promiscuous teenager, however, Noelle has become morose and withdrawn as well as self-destructive. The only onscreen violence shows the girl inflicting knife wounds on her arm. But the antagonistic mother-daughter relationship begins to transform into a loving one during their crisis. Donna becomes strong and protective of Noelle, and Noelle learns important lessons of survival from Joe. One bedroom scene with Donna and Joe implies sex, and they kiss passionately in another. There is no nudity, although the three must strip down to their underwear in order to dry their clothes after a life-threatening swim. This many-layered drama is corrupted by much foul language, including 29 obscenities and six regular profanities. A fascinating story of lost souls finding meaning in their lives, LIMBO would be richer without its offensive language.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment, 10202 West Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232