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To Leslie (2022)To Leslie (2022)

To Leslie (2022)

A humane portrait of poverty and addiction

Drama

best
THE VERY BEST

8.5

movie

United States of America
English
Challenging, Character-driven, Dark
2022
Michael Morris
Alan Trong, Alan Wells, Allison Janney
119 min

Synopsis

rotten tomatoes
imdb
wikipedia
A West Texas single mother wins the lottery and squanders it just as fast, leaving behind a world of heartbreak. Years later, with her charm running out and nowhere to go, she fights to rebuild her life and find redemption.

Our Take

8.5
The Staff

To Leslie follows the eponymous Leslie (Andrea Riseborough), a Southern woman who finds herself at the bottom of the barrel after finally using up every penny of her $190k lottery win. Out of work, friends, and family, she drowns herself in alcohol—that is until a kind soul in the form of motel owner Sweeney (Marc Maron) takes her in and gives her a shot.

To Leslie starts off a bit slow, and its premise may seem like it’ll give way to weepiness, but it’s worth sticking by till the end. The film only gets better, especially with the arrival of Maron, whose presence lends the film a much-needed buoyancy. It’s also worth noting that unlike many of its kind, To Leslie avoids the poverty porn trap by depicting issues like addiction and indigence with nuance, honesty, and humanity.

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