Tim Blake Nelson is a treasure of a character actor and one who carves out memorable performances in films big and small, good or bad. While he may not be a household name, Nelson is an important actor and filmmaker who wears any role as if he were born for it. In “Asleep in My Palm”, Nelson does some of his most interesting work yet in a film written and directed by his son, Henry.

This interesting picture revolves around a man (Nelson) living with his daughter (Chloë Kerwin) in a storage unit in a bleak wintertime rural Ohio. The two live off the grid, as Nelson’s character comes to terms with his teen daughter’s awakening (both sexual and social) and an ambiguous past that is colored with violence.

The young girl’s coming of age and her father’s strange survivalist way of life play out against the backdrop of a liberal arts college town; the struggles of the father and daughter reflecting the college’s relationship with its population and the people who inhabit the surrounding rural areas. Henry Nelson’s screenplay is smart in its exploration of the dichotomy between the comfortable college life and the more depressed surroundings of the town. As a writer/director, Nelson explores his themes and characters with sympathy and focus.

“Asleep in My Palm” allows Tim Blake Nelson and Chloë Kerwin to do quiet and powerful work as the father and daughter. Both performers find a poignancy in their respective portrayals. Nelson goes deep into his exploration of the father’s conflicted personal beliefs. The man clearly loves and wishes the best for his daughter and wants her to have a pure life, keeping her from society and its “trappings”. The two do not own phones nor a television, bathe in buildings they break into, and the father steals to keep the teen in food and clothes. Nelson’s excellent performance is one of intellectual prowess hiding a barely disguised rage.

Kerwin intelligently sells a young woman who loves her father but begins to question their existence. She is a 16 year old who is beginning to realize that she doesn’t know people. The actress is absolutely heartbreaking as her character realizes that no one will know her, as she doesn’t understand how to make human connections. The daughter is invisible to the world in what should be the prime of her life, and now she is feeling it. Kerwin doesn’t strike a false note; her performance announcing a skilled and interesting actress.

Henry Nelson has crafted a truthful film about very real societal issues. His film focuses on how distrust of the world and an askew modern class structure can ruin lives, yet this is not where the screenplay’s buck stops. The director finds an intense emotional pull that becomes increasingly profound and ultimately tragic, while a strong theme of independence permeates the entire film.

The finale may be too abrupt and some questions raised fail to get an answer, but “Asleep in My Palm” is a soulful and touching film featuring two marvelous lead performances that will stay with you.