Middle of Nowhere is a 2012 American independent drama film written and directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick and Lorraine Toussaint.

Ruby is a registered nurse in Compton, California, who had been working to become a doctor and now dedicates most of her time to visiting her husband Derek in prison and helping him to get paroled early.

She ultimately distances herself from her sister Rosie, whose son she has often cared for, and from her mother Ruth, who is poisonously bitter that her daughters have not lived up to her expectations.

[5] The director spent months conducting research for the film, including interviewing the wives of felons, before writing a screenplay.

[8][9] DuVernay told IndieWire's Claire Easton that it was difficult filming over a short period of time and thought that she could have used a couple more days.

"[9] Other shooting locations included Inglewood, a federal correction facility in Victorville, Leimert Park, and East Los Angeles.

The website's consensus reads: "Wise, compassionate, and beautifully acted, Middle of Nowhere offers an early testament to writer-director Ava DuVernay's startling talent.

"[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

[16] Kenneth Turan from the Los Angeles Times stated "Though Middle of Nowhere is very much a character piece, it benefits from some intricate plotting, and going where you think it will go is not on this film's mind.

"[17] Middle of Nowhere was named one of The New York Times Critics' Pick and Manohla Dargis commented, "A plaintive, slow-boiling, quietly soul-stirring drama about a woman coming into her own, Middle of Nowhere carries the imprimatur of Sundance, but without the dreary stereotypes or self-satisfied politics that can (at times unfairly) characterize its offerings.