Lance Hammer's 'Ballast' makes a splash

Minneapolis, Minn. — Lance Hammer's film "Ballast" won awards at the Sundance and Berlin film festivals this year. It's drawn rave reviews from critics all over.

Now Twin Cities filmgoers will get what may be the only to see the film on a big screen in Minneapolis. Lance Hammer will introduce his film "Ballast" at the Walker Art Center tonight at 7:30 p.m.

James in 'Ballast'

The film examines the impact of a man's suicide in a small town in the Mississippi Delta. His death changes the lives of his identical twin, Lawrence, his ex-wife Marlee and his son, James. In their grief, Lawrence and Marlee can't get along.

Hammer says he began wanting to make a film when he first saw the landscape around the delta. It filled him with a sense of both awe and sadness.

Hammer says it took him a couple of years to learn about the complicated history and culture of the area. Then he spent another couple of years writing a script.

Hammer told Minnesota Public radio's Euan Kerr he chose local actors and began working with them to make the story as real as possible.