People who have other options do not go to places that buy gold only for its purity and weight. Their customers are often people who value gold objects for their history, their artistry, or their emotional connection. Unfortunately, they have found themselves in need of money quickly and do not have time to find other options.
“Cash for Gold” is a sometimes compelling but very uneven film named for one of these last-ditch places, a store in a small, snowy Minnesota town. It is owned by Iranian immigrants Hasan (Farshad Farahat) and his father Mohammad (Marcelo Tubert). Grace (screenwriter and co-director Deborah Puette) is a single mother who about to lose her house and her car because she spent the little money she had on asthma medication for her son, Noah (Sawyer Gacka). She brings a small gold necklace to Cash for Gold. For her, the value of the necklace is the memory of the grandmother who gave it to her. For him, it is just its weight. He thinks she is probably an addict looking for money to get a fix, but he shows her exceptional kindness, slipping her an extra $20. She sees a Help Wanted sign in the window and applies for the job. Hasan is reluctant to hire her, but Mohammad insists.
Grace comes into work the next day with a notebook of plans, ready to dig in on the repairs, cleaning, and organization the shop needs. But Mohammad insists that she first join him and Hasan for morning tea. His courtesy and kindness help her feel more secure and capable. Grace has lived in the community all her life and Hasan is a displaced person whose religion, language, and skin color separate him from everyone around him but his father. Although they are very different, they both feel like outsiders and the devastating loss and guilt they have both experienced creates a strong connection. They both begin to feel less alone.
But Grace’s support system is fragile and so is her sobriety. Both are tested. Grace is the widow of a man who served in the military in Afghanistan. Her mother-in-law (JoBeth Williams as Boots) watches Noah when Grace is at work. When Boot’s husband is hospitalized, Grace leaves Noah with new neighbors she barely knows. Noah’s godfather Mikey (David Sullivan), once a close friend, offers no help but keeps pushing Grace to go drinking with him.
The characters hold our interest even when the screenplay stumbles, with some clunky dialogue, awkward shifts, and a final ten minutes showing a series of scenes resolving various issues hastily stitched together, with a confusing time frame. Boots in particular has huge shifts in attitude that may be convenient to tie things up but make no sense for the character.
Yanni’s cinematography effectively makes the snowy setting a metaphor, conveying the frozen isolation that the characters struggle with. The best part of the movie is Puette’s lovely performance as Grace and her chemistry with the equally engaging Farahat. Puette’s expressive face shows us Grace’s love for her son and her conflicted relationship with Boots, depending on her but feeling judged by her. It is a pleasure to see Puette light up when Grace and Hasan have a rare moment of fun and to see how Grace grows in confidence as she makes a difference in the shop.
As a screenwriter, Puette could have trusted the audience more, perhaps a character name less on the nose, and an unnecessary swerve into intense peril for dramatic purposes that makes it harder to believe in almost-immediate scenes of reconciliation and forgiveness. It is the compassion the film has for its characters that is the film’s true grace.
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