Ordinary Angels

A film set in Kentucky and based on real events. Sharon works as a hairdresser. She has a drinking problem, is at odds with her son and her life is in disorder. At a funeral one night she hears something: a roofer who has lost his wife has a small daughter who is ill and waiting for a liver transplant. Sharon finds the family. She wants to help; the man refuses. She does not give up. She sees the hospital bills and starts raising money to clear them: in the neighbourhood, at the salon, at church and from companies. From there the film becomes a story of organising. Sharon makes calls, knocks on doors and argues with every institution she meets. When an organ is found a new problem appears: a heavy snowstorm has closed the roads and no plane can land. The last section is about that question of transport, and the whole town comes into it. What the narrative is interested in is the person who helps: Sharon is trying to put her own life together while doing it, and the film runs both sides at once. Hilary Swank plays Sharon and Alan Ritchson the father. Nancy Travis and Emily Mitchell are in the cast. Jon Gunn directed. A warm choice for anyone who likes drama based on real events. For a viewer expecting a measured register, the film keeps the emotional dose high.