"Mickey and the Bear" unfolds languidly, allowing tension to build slowly, intimately.

Every shot in "Mickey and the Bear" is scrupulously judged but never overworked or fussy, resulting in a movie that is as artful as it is unforced.

Even at its most dire, Mickey and the Bear is tinged with an almost holy hope for all involved, a rare and remarkable feat to pull off so well for a first-time director indeed.

Mickey, the heroine of this thoughtful coming-of-age drama, is not your usual Midwest teenager. When she surreptitiously dips into her father's wallet, it's to put money in rather than take it out.