Snow Cake (2006)
7/10
Snow Cake
11 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
From director Marc Evans (My Little Eye), this mix of both comedic and tragic moments is a very good look at Autism, almost as effective as Rain Man. Basically Alex Hughes (Alan Rickman) is a recently released (for murder) man travelling to Winnipeg to see an old friend, and along the way he gives the annoying, but vivacious Vivienne Freeman (Emily Hampshire). He may not have wanted to at first, and just when he warms to her eccentric nature, the vehicle is in a serious automobile accident, killing Vivienne. After talking to the police, he sees the address of Vivienne's mother, and decides to speak to her. After a difficult meeting with the mother Linda (Sigourney Weaver), he afterwards talks to neighbour Maggie (Carrie-Anne Moss), who explains to him that she has autism. Linda wants him to stay till after the funeral, the day the garbage is collected, and he agrees. In the days leading up to it, Alex makes a partner with Maggie and a few other friends, and learning more about Linda's uniqueness he also finds himself letting out past demons, such as his son's death and the man he killed. The moments that really get to you are the Scrabble game with made up words and an example of their use, and of course, the end, when Alex leaves Linda a cake made of snow (because she likes to eat it, and has no temperature sense), and it is Maggie that takes the garbage out for her. Also starring James Allodi as Clyde, Janet Van De Graaf as Meryl, Julie Stewart as Florence, Selina Cadell as Diane Wooton, Callum Keith Rennie as John Neil and David Fox as Dirk Freeman. I can have some understanding of the character of Linda (not in exactly the same way), because I myself have a form of Autism called Asperger's Syndrome. Weaver is very compelling, Rickman makes the most of his self-grieving character, and the support from Moss and the brief Hampshire are good too, a good tragicomedy. Very good!
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