Digging to China (1998)

Harriet is ten years old, living with her alcoholic mother and promiscuous sister Gwen in the country where they run a motel. She is lonely and dreams of leaving home, by digging a tunnel to China or tying balloons to a lawn chair to float away. Until one day she meets Ricky, a mentally retarded young man and his mother Leah, who is dying of cancer when their car breaks down near the hotel. They stay at the motel until it gets fixed, and Harriet and Ricky become close friends. When Harriet's mother gets killed in a tragic accident, it's up to Gwen to take look after her, but Harriet doesn't care for her sister and resents her even more when she tells Harriet to stay away from Ricky. An absorbing and deeply touching film; Evan Rachel Wood is terrific in her film debut, as is Bacon playing the mentally challenged Ricky. Starring Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Bacon, Mary Stuart Masterson, Cathy Moriarty 7/10