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Drama

Ballast (2008): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot

Ballast (2008) movie poster

Ballast is a 2008 drama directed by Lance Hammer, starring Tarra Riggs, JimMyron Ross and Micheal J. Smith Sr.. It runs 1 hour 36 minutes and earned $81,864 worldwide. It won 1 award from 6 nominations, including Best First Screenplay at the Spirit Awards 2009. Critics gave it 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 84 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.9/10.

IMDb rating
6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes
93%
worldwide gross
$81.9K
award won
1
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Ballast (2008) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 36m (96 min)
Director
Lance Hammer
Genre
Drama
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Ballast About?

The premise of Ballast without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Set against the backdrop of the Mississippi Delta, this film explores the lives of three people whose paths intertwine after a tragic event. Marlee, a single mother, sees a chance to escape the cycle of poverty and violence affecting her son, James. She finds unexpected companionship and a sense of stability with Lawrence, a man also dealing with loss. Together, they confront their grief and attempt to build a future filled with hope and healing in the stark beauty of their surroundings.

Ballast Themes & Keywords

· 29 tags
  • mississippi delta
  • mississippi river
  • river delta
  • suicide
  • single mother
  • small town
  • one word title
  • boy
  • watching tv
  • very little dialogue
  • unwanted kiss
  • train
+17 more
  • robbery
  • mother son relationship
  • money problems
  • loss of brother
  • lawyer
  • juvenile delinquent
  • hospital
  • home schooling
  • gun
  • driving
  • dog
  • death
  • countryside
  • convenience store
  • child with gun
  • breaking and entering
  • black eye
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Cast & crew

Ballast Cast

Tarra Riggs leads the cast, with JimMyron Ross and Micheal J. Smith Sr.. Directed by Lance Hammer.

Ratings

Ballast Reviews & Ratings

Critics gave Ballast 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 84 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.9/10.

Plot

Ballast Plot Summary

What happens in Ballast from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 1-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

I can create the long, nicely formatted summary you want, but I need one quick clarification to apply the actor links correctly:

  • Which actor plays which character (Lawrence, Darius, James, Marlee)? The cast you provided lists three actors, but the summary includes four named characters. If you’re okay with me mapping as best as possible based on the cast list (and I’ll link the first-time mentions to the corresponding actor pages), please confirm. Alternatively, I can write the summary with no character-to-actor links or with links only for the actors you specified, without assigning them to specific characters.

Full summary

The whole story of Ballast, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Ballast Box Office

Ballast grossed $81,864 worldwide. $77,556 came from the US and Canada and $4,308 (5%) from the rest of the world.

2008 box office

Worldwide gross

$81.9K

US & Canada
$77.6K
International
$4.3K
US & Canada 95% Rest of the world 5%
Awards

Ballast Awards & Nominations

Ballast won 1 award from 6 nominations, including Best First Screenplay at the Spirit Awards 2009.

1 win6 nominations1 ceremony

Videos

Ballast Trailers & Videos

The trailer of Ballast.

UK Theatrical Trailer
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Ballast?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

In what year was Ballast released?

Details

Ballast Also Known As

4 alternative titles, including “Балласт” and “Balast”.

Also known as
  • Балласт
  • Balast
  • 沙囊
  • 밸러스트

Seen Ballast?

FAQ

Ballast FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Ballast, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Ballast?

Ballast runs 1 hour 36 minutes (96 minutes).

When was Ballast released?

Ballast was released on October 1, 2008.

Who directed Ballast?

Ballast was directed by Lance Hammer.

Who is in the cast of Ballast?

Ballast stars Tarra Riggs, JimMyron Ross and Micheal J. Smith Sr.

How much did Ballast make at the box office?

Ballast grossed $81,864 worldwide ($77,556 domestic, $4,308 international).

How is Ballast rated?

Ballast has 6.9/10 on IMDb, 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, 84 on Metacritic and 72% on TMDB.

What awards did Ballast win?

Ballast won 1 award from 6 nominations, including Best First Screenplay at the Spirit Awards 2009.

Does Ballast have a post-credit scene?

No. Ballast has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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