The Bloggomist: The Local Boy Film Opinion Don't laugh but one of my guilty pleasures used to be old Louis L'Amour western novels.  My father palmed me one while I was doing homework during high school.  "Read it," he told me, grinning.  "It's just fun."  The cheesy looking cover and yellowed edges weren't doing an convincing, but I figured I might as well humor Ba and just tell him I was bored out of my mind if it didn't work out.  A day later I was asking if he had anymore. The draw.  It's what makes you addicted.  It's what keeps you focused, what won't let you put down the book or tear yourself away from the screen.  Whatever it is, Ballast has got it.  Somehow, someway, Lance Hammer crafts the kind of film that demands your attention in the most unpretentious way. Less than a year ago I was stopping by a cafe to grab a hot drink with some friends.  Inside they have a flatscreen where they play music videos, sport games, and the occasional movie that run in the background while customers chat or work.  But that particular night no one--not even the baristas--were working or talking.  They all sat riveted, books open, faucet running, as Pan's Labyrinth glowed on the tv.  No review or marketing campaign could create a more compelling testament to the power of Guillermo Del Toro's masterpiece than the scene I was witnessing.  Though I'd already seen the film four or five times myself I too stood frozen for a good fifteen minutes before remembering what I came for, victim to the same spell as the rest. Ballast is the same.  Except it grips you without any kind of fanfare.  There is no soundtrack.  There are no special effects.  Only the intensely personal story of a Lawrence, James, and Marlee.  The barren, weather-worn landscape of the Mississippi Delta is a vivid stage which further emphasizes their journey.  Lawrence is the twin brother of Darius who we find has committed suicide years after leaving his wife Marlee with their son James.  Ballast is anything but your typical "life in the streets" movie but stands as a stark reminder of life that is hard and real.  The genius in the movie's structure is that there is nothing, not even excessive ambient noise, that draws any attention away from the camera's subject. "After I watched Ballast," my roommate told me, "everything seemed more beautiful." Though Hammer won recognition at multiple film festivals (including Sundance) for directing and cinematography you'll quickly discover that his talent makes you forget the camera's there.  With the pared down effects, non-professional actors, and simple story we find ourselves gripped by a astonishingly engrossing film.  The film takes a little time for the viewer to piece together the backstory, but never fails to keep you pining for more.  Sometimes it feels like Hammer maintains the steady pace of the film to tease the audience, feeding the story piece by piece as we're drawn deeper into a startlingly real world miraculously birthed out of improvisational conflict sessions. Watch Ballast.  It's a film you can't walk away from, and won't likely forget. *** To see more from Caleb Lin, visit http://evilmonito.com/author/caleb/