And it really is hard to believe that a woman in such dire circumstances, the sole support of two kids, would start smuggling illegal aliens without missing a beat. Melissa Leo's performance is okay, not great, not a great part. She plays a beat down dollar-store cashier abandoned by her husband. Others have given the plot. I'll just say she's convincing, but she doesn't make it sing. And there is nothing redemptive here, just a sad story somebody made up as a star vehicle.