Set in a fracking boomtown in North Dakota, Little Woods’ wide-open prairies are inhabited by people who have little room to move. Trapped by poverty and failed by a broken health system, for them it’s hard work for little return. First-time writer/director Nia DaCosta has drawn a rich world of dynamic characters, complex relationships, and hard choices that recalls Winter’s Bone. She expertly draws on crime movie tropes to tell an important story: that of the female rural poor. Anchored by two incredible performances by stars Tessa Thompson and Lily James, and deftly handled by DaCosta, Little Woods is a tense movie that illuminates many aspects of the US political zeitgeist from a strong female perspective. This is deeply felt cinema, a directorial debut that is not to be missed. -JR