This movie was more about a teenager's obsessing with her breasts and sex ,then about her missing mother! Her mother's missing and given their history she assumed mom left dad, meanwhile all she can think about is sex with the detective that's on the case of her missing mother, and screwing her boyfriend who no longer desires her , which we find out why later on in the movie. For the movie to supposedly be about a woman gone missing it sure did not focus on it. It focused more on the girl coming of age and her desires, if that's the case it should have been titled A Coming of Age ,college years later she's literally sitting around her friends before she actually gets the idea that maybe, just maybe her mom didn't run away after all, maybe something did happen to her? Maybe dad is responsible? Just for her friends to tell her hey, we've been telling you that for years now! Really Columbo?
103 Reviews
A mix of styles and tones that don't work
estebangonzalez106 February 2015
"And just like that, my virginity disappeared. Just like my mother."
I did not make that quote up; Shailene Woodley's character (Kat Connors) actually says this while she narrates her life to a psychologist played by Angela Bassett. I wasn't familiar with director Gregg Araki's previous work, but I found this mysterious thriller problematic and at odds with itself. On the one hand it focuses on Kat's sexual awakening, but on the other we are introduced with some cartoonish characters like Eva Green's Eve Connors who seems to be playing a similar role as she did in 300 and Sin City. She gives a very campy performance, while Woodley is playing an authentic character. I just found the tone of the film very strange and didn't buy into the mix of styles. Araki is playing with genre conventions here mixing the coming of age tale with other familiar thrillers, but it didn't work for me because the dialogue at times is unbelievable and Araki seems to be leaving us false hints of what actually happened only to pull the rug under us with a twist at the end of the film. White Bird in a Blizzard is based on Laura Kasischke's novel of the same name and was adapted by Araki himself. I've never read the novel so I don't know if it has a similar tone, but the film felt surreal at times. There are some great looking scenes during Kat's dream sequences, but there isn't much more going on story wise.
It's funny because the plot of this film is what I thought The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby would be like. A woman goes missing and the film would revolve around the mystery behind her disappearance. Kat (Shailene Woodley) narrates the events of her mother's disappearance (Eva Green) claiming she had never been in love with her father, Brock (Christopher Meloni). Kat believes she simply got fed up with Brock and walked out on him. Her relationship with her mother hasn't been great either so she doesn't seem to mind her absence. She is comfortable with her current situation and doesn't think she even needs to talk to a psychologist about it. When she was young her mother treated her like a pet, but once she got older she began to resent her for her youth and beauty. Kat meanwhile is in a relationship with her next door neighbor, Phil (Shiloh Fernandez), who is her first love. Lately he hasn't seemed too interested in spending time with her, and when her mother goes missing, she and her father file a report with Detective Scieziesciez (Thomas Jane) who she finds attractive despite the age difference. Kat is very open with her two best friends, Beth (Gabourey Sidibe) and Mickey (Mark Indelicate) about her sexual life. There isn't very much going on with the plot since Kat doesn't think much about her mother's mysterious disappearance and we know how she feels because she is narrating the story to her psychiatrist. Things change when a few years pass and Kat returns home from college. She discovers that her mother's disappearance has affected her more than she realized and we begin to discover new elements about the mystery. This final act of the film plays out more as a traditional mystery movie and I was actually surprised with the final reveal. It is a shift of tone from what we had seen during the first half of the movie which played out as a coming of age sexual awakening tale. I can't recommend White Bird in a Blizzard, but it does have its moments. Shailene Woodley delivers a very strong performance (but I still think she was better in The Descendants and The Spectacular Now) and she is a talented young actress. I wasn't a fan of Eva Green's campy performance, but I have read some praise. Other than Woodley's performance I don't think there is much more worth recommending here.
I did not make that quote up; Shailene Woodley's character (Kat Connors) actually says this while she narrates her life to a psychologist played by Angela Bassett. I wasn't familiar with director Gregg Araki's previous work, but I found this mysterious thriller problematic and at odds with itself. On the one hand it focuses on Kat's sexual awakening, but on the other we are introduced with some cartoonish characters like Eva Green's Eve Connors who seems to be playing a similar role as she did in 300 and Sin City. She gives a very campy performance, while Woodley is playing an authentic character. I just found the tone of the film very strange and didn't buy into the mix of styles. Araki is playing with genre conventions here mixing the coming of age tale with other familiar thrillers, but it didn't work for me because the dialogue at times is unbelievable and Araki seems to be leaving us false hints of what actually happened only to pull the rug under us with a twist at the end of the film. White Bird in a Blizzard is based on Laura Kasischke's novel of the same name and was adapted by Araki himself. I've never read the novel so I don't know if it has a similar tone, but the film felt surreal at times. There are some great looking scenes during Kat's dream sequences, but there isn't much more going on story wise.
It's funny because the plot of this film is what I thought The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby would be like. A woman goes missing and the film would revolve around the mystery behind her disappearance. Kat (Shailene Woodley) narrates the events of her mother's disappearance (Eva Green) claiming she had never been in love with her father, Brock (Christopher Meloni). Kat believes she simply got fed up with Brock and walked out on him. Her relationship with her mother hasn't been great either so she doesn't seem to mind her absence. She is comfortable with her current situation and doesn't think she even needs to talk to a psychologist about it. When she was young her mother treated her like a pet, but once she got older she began to resent her for her youth and beauty. Kat meanwhile is in a relationship with her next door neighbor, Phil (Shiloh Fernandez), who is her first love. Lately he hasn't seemed too interested in spending time with her, and when her mother goes missing, she and her father file a report with Detective Scieziesciez (Thomas Jane) who she finds attractive despite the age difference. Kat is very open with her two best friends, Beth (Gabourey Sidibe) and Mickey (Mark Indelicate) about her sexual life. There isn't very much going on with the plot since Kat doesn't think much about her mother's mysterious disappearance and we know how she feels because she is narrating the story to her psychiatrist. Things change when a few years pass and Kat returns home from college. She discovers that her mother's disappearance has affected her more than she realized and we begin to discover new elements about the mystery. This final act of the film plays out more as a traditional mystery movie and I was actually surprised with the final reveal. It is a shift of tone from what we had seen during the first half of the movie which played out as a coming of age sexual awakening tale. I can't recommend White Bird in a Blizzard, but it does have its moments. Shailene Woodley delivers a very strong performance (but I still think she was better in The Descendants and The Spectacular Now) and she is a talented young actress. I wasn't a fan of Eva Green's campy performance, but I have read some praise. Other than Woodley's performance I don't think there is much more worth recommending here.
Just finished it and thinking about it it has more depth than I first thought
gmickel-7524626 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Never read the book but to me it had the depth of a decently written book capturing the time of being so into yourself at 17 and slowly waking up to reality in college to lives outside of yourself and the complexity of human beings.
I guess the only two hints that the father was gay was that when she went to work with him all the women loved him, "he had game" and just ignored it and of course the obvious, he never has sex with his wife. What through me off was the dad masturbating to a Hustler Mag with women on the cover but maybe he turned gay later or was bi-sexual? I would of liked a lot more of the mother in it. That scene where she is just staring at her daughter in the her doorway in that dark makeup zoned out of her mind and her daughter just gently slams the door in her face and she doesn't even flinch made me laugh. This show needed more dark comedy. Also in the ending I also was wondering if it was like the book because there is some lazy writing.
The dad puts his wife in the basement freezer and you know this right away because earlier in the movie they open it up and it was unplugged and stunk of raw meat so towards the end you know when that scene comes she is in there. So I expected her that night to wake up or something and see him driving off in a car or carrying her body out in something since it was her last night before leaving there. But no, after all those years he gets drunk at a bar two weeks after his daughter leaves and tells a guy at a bar what he did, really? You couldn't come up with something better than that? The part before was good with them being caught in bed but the ending sucked.
The score and music is great for that time frame especially for those who were around the main characters age during that time and came from broken homes as the music fits.
Overall I enjoyed it but wouldn't really recommend this movie.
I guess the only two hints that the father was gay was that when she went to work with him all the women loved him, "he had game" and just ignored it and of course the obvious, he never has sex with his wife. What through me off was the dad masturbating to a Hustler Mag with women on the cover but maybe he turned gay later or was bi-sexual? I would of liked a lot more of the mother in it. That scene where she is just staring at her daughter in the her doorway in that dark makeup zoned out of her mind and her daughter just gently slams the door in her face and she doesn't even flinch made me laugh. This show needed more dark comedy. Also in the ending I also was wondering if it was like the book because there is some lazy writing.
The dad puts his wife in the basement freezer and you know this right away because earlier in the movie they open it up and it was unplugged and stunk of raw meat so towards the end you know when that scene comes she is in there. So I expected her that night to wake up or something and see him driving off in a car or carrying her body out in something since it was her last night before leaving there. But no, after all those years he gets drunk at a bar two weeks after his daughter leaves and tells a guy at a bar what he did, really? You couldn't come up with something better than that? The part before was good with them being caught in bed but the ending sucked.
The score and music is great for that time frame especially for those who were around the main characters age during that time and came from broken homes as the music fits.
Overall I enjoyed it but wouldn't really recommend this movie.
Geez, tough room in here
elishawin200523 May 2022
After I watch a movie I sometimes come in here to see what others have to say. I'm not sure why I started doing that but I did. If the movie wasn't the best but I still feel like it was better than the very low rating it kinda makes me want to try to give it a better score. Unless I feel like it really deserves it. I guess the low rating might be why I don't even remember hearing about it when it came out. Maybe nobody was talking about it, I guess. After I read some of the reviews I still feel like it wasn't as bad as most think it was. I don't think it was bad at all to be honest. Obviously it's not getting any big nominations at the Oscar's but that's ok too. It held my attention all the way to the end and I was actually a little surprised by certain events. I'm not one sitting here trying to figure out a movie the whole time I'm watching either. I try to just let it play out however it plays out on it's own instead of beating it to the punch. So this is only my opinion as a normal 42 year old non professional IMDb user.
Faulty family dynamics and a free-sex girl.
TxMike21 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
No other way to say it, this is a very strange movie. But we enjoyed it for the actors, particularly Ms Woodley who leaves not much to the imagination. And it has a sort of a surprise ending.
Shailene Woodley, 21-ish, is Kat Connors in what is a classic dysfunctional family. Her mother and dad don't seem to have any husband-wife chemistry, and Kat herself seems to be a sex-starved brat of 17 when this story starts in 1988.
Her mother is Eva Green (I don't understand all the praise she gets) as Eve Connors who one day disappears. The car is still in the garage, there is no evidence she takes her things, but no one knows where she is.
As time passes her husband, Christopher Meloni as Brock Connors gradually gets over his funk and starts to date a woman. Kat is fine with that, she basically has no feelings for her absent mother, they didn't have a good relationship and she just sees her as an "absent mom" who deserted the family.
When Kat's next door friend loses interest in having frequent sex with her she resorts to visiting the detective working on her mother's case, 45-ish Thomas Jane as Detective Scieziesciez, and they begin an ongoing sexual affair. Towards the end he tells her something which upsets her, but which ultimately leads to the truth.
My biggest issue with this movie is the lack of likable characters. All of them are unlikeable so it is akin to watching a train wreck in slow motion. But it does have interesting elements and Ms Woodley does a fine job with her character.
Netflix streaming movie.
SPOILERS: We only learn what happened at the end in a type of flashback along with exposition. Mom and dad had become estranged and it all came to light when she came home unexpectedly to find her husband and the boy next door in bed together, naked, in a sexual situation. That explained why the boy next door lost interest in sex with the daughter. The wife simply began to laugh hysterically, nonstop, and the husband in a fit of rage at the laughing put his hands on her neck and choked her, probably not intending on killing her, but he did. He stored the body in the freezer in the basement, and that attaches to the dreams Kat had, of being in a blizzard and finding her mother under the snow. Now it is 1991 and Kat is in college at Berkeley, dad in a drunken state confessed to killing his wife, was arrested but he hanged himself in jail. The movie ends as Kat is on a plane back to school and thinking about her mother.
Shailene Woodley, 21-ish, is Kat Connors in what is a classic dysfunctional family. Her mother and dad don't seem to have any husband-wife chemistry, and Kat herself seems to be a sex-starved brat of 17 when this story starts in 1988.
Her mother is Eva Green (I don't understand all the praise she gets) as Eve Connors who one day disappears. The car is still in the garage, there is no evidence she takes her things, but no one knows where she is.
As time passes her husband, Christopher Meloni as Brock Connors gradually gets over his funk and starts to date a woman. Kat is fine with that, she basically has no feelings for her absent mother, they didn't have a good relationship and she just sees her as an "absent mom" who deserted the family.
When Kat's next door friend loses interest in having frequent sex with her she resorts to visiting the detective working on her mother's case, 45-ish Thomas Jane as Detective Scieziesciez, and they begin an ongoing sexual affair. Towards the end he tells her something which upsets her, but which ultimately leads to the truth.
My biggest issue with this movie is the lack of likable characters. All of them are unlikeable so it is akin to watching a train wreck in slow motion. But it does have interesting elements and Ms Woodley does a fine job with her character.
Netflix streaming movie.
SPOILERS: We only learn what happened at the end in a type of flashback along with exposition. Mom and dad had become estranged and it all came to light when she came home unexpectedly to find her husband and the boy next door in bed together, naked, in a sexual situation. That explained why the boy next door lost interest in sex with the daughter. The wife simply began to laugh hysterically, nonstop, and the husband in a fit of rage at the laughing put his hands on her neck and choked her, probably not intending on killing her, but he did. He stored the body in the freezer in the basement, and that attaches to the dreams Kat had, of being in a blizzard and finding her mother under the snow. Now it is 1991 and Kat is in college at Berkeley, dad in a drunken state confessed to killing his wife, was arrested but he hanged himself in jail. The movie ends as Kat is on a plane back to school and thinking about her mother.
7.5/10
Giacomo_De_Bello21 February 2015
Very, very pleasant surprise of 2014. "White Bird in A Blizzard" is one of the 2014 films I mostly respect and really admire from a filmaking point of view. Of course, and you will have realized by looking at the grade, it isn't a flat out success since it bears some problems, but it really makes many, many points and has a unique perspective on them. I am really surprised to see this film pass so under the radar and be so under-appreciated.
So many thoughts are going on in my mind (I have just finished the film) and it's really hard to pin them down, but that's what I love about it. Even through the flaws of the film you can see the enthusiasm, the pathos, the passion and the interest the filmmakers, especially the director, have for the property. That's what makes even the weak elements have redeeming qualities. I love to see storytelling done this way, people who have the balls to stick to their vision no matter how it could be received and do it their own way. That's what misses from many mediocre movies that end up in that category exactly because they don't have strength and courage at the helm. This movie is very emotionally involving, it touches quite dark ideas, but never shows off for it, moreover without ever looking as it is trying to hard and without ever going graphic or over the top it got under my skin with a lot of it's content. This movie is bleak, it is a very uncomfortable look at the madness that lives in every human being and it is strangely uncomfortable to watch at times, it shows truths that you would like to ignore, but can't help be fascinated and terrified by at the same time. I know everything I am saying sounds really murky, but I think that if you've seen the film you get what I am saying. I really respect so much this movie for its bravery, and as I said, it doesn't always lead to a successful point, but if you are gonna fail I would rather see you fail ambitiously a thousand times than look at something that succeeds without any backbone.
And, curiously enough, this is the second film this year that does this in which my personal hero, the single person I most aspire to, Shailene Woodley, stars. I have gone off raving about her so much I don't really see what's the point in doing so any more, I think I have run out of words for her. She is absolutely the best actor/actress living and this movie is further proof that her work is more than a performance, it is a lesson, it is something to behold, but at the same time it never, ever, not even for a frame looks like she it acting. Shailene, just as I said in my "Fault in our Stars" review, you are the reason why I go to the cinema. Thank you for your work.
After all these amazing words it seems strange for me to give this movie a 7.5. Well the point is that all of the above is there, but there is also a first act that is preposterously weird, some characters are very gimmicky or over the top and even though they still serve their purpose, you can't look at the screen at times for how out of context they feel. Also, the film unfortunately never has under its control where it is going and whilst on one side that turns out to make for some surprises, it feels more as if it doesn't know what it is doing at times. It has an ending that partially feels genuine and engaging but because of that it comes out as underdeveloped. Lastly, it is never fully absorbing or as devastating as it should be and that was a big con for me, I really wanted it to be more emotionally touching than it ended up being.
So overall I really recommend anyone to watch this film, especially movie fans and aspiring filmmakers, you will have something to sink your teeth in. Very, very good surprise and great reflection inducing film, don't miss it and praise again to Shailene Woodley for her talent!
So many thoughts are going on in my mind (I have just finished the film) and it's really hard to pin them down, but that's what I love about it. Even through the flaws of the film you can see the enthusiasm, the pathos, the passion and the interest the filmmakers, especially the director, have for the property. That's what makes even the weak elements have redeeming qualities. I love to see storytelling done this way, people who have the balls to stick to their vision no matter how it could be received and do it their own way. That's what misses from many mediocre movies that end up in that category exactly because they don't have strength and courage at the helm. This movie is very emotionally involving, it touches quite dark ideas, but never shows off for it, moreover without ever looking as it is trying to hard and without ever going graphic or over the top it got under my skin with a lot of it's content. This movie is bleak, it is a very uncomfortable look at the madness that lives in every human being and it is strangely uncomfortable to watch at times, it shows truths that you would like to ignore, but can't help be fascinated and terrified by at the same time. I know everything I am saying sounds really murky, but I think that if you've seen the film you get what I am saying. I really respect so much this movie for its bravery, and as I said, it doesn't always lead to a successful point, but if you are gonna fail I would rather see you fail ambitiously a thousand times than look at something that succeeds without any backbone.
And, curiously enough, this is the second film this year that does this in which my personal hero, the single person I most aspire to, Shailene Woodley, stars. I have gone off raving about her so much I don't really see what's the point in doing so any more, I think I have run out of words for her. She is absolutely the best actor/actress living and this movie is further proof that her work is more than a performance, it is a lesson, it is something to behold, but at the same time it never, ever, not even for a frame looks like she it acting. Shailene, just as I said in my "Fault in our Stars" review, you are the reason why I go to the cinema. Thank you for your work.
After all these amazing words it seems strange for me to give this movie a 7.5. Well the point is that all of the above is there, but there is also a first act that is preposterously weird, some characters are very gimmicky or over the top and even though they still serve their purpose, you can't look at the screen at times for how out of context they feel. Also, the film unfortunately never has under its control where it is going and whilst on one side that turns out to make for some surprises, it feels more as if it doesn't know what it is doing at times. It has an ending that partially feels genuine and engaging but because of that it comes out as underdeveloped. Lastly, it is never fully absorbing or as devastating as it should be and that was a big con for me, I really wanted it to be more emotionally touching than it ended up being.
So overall I really recommend anyone to watch this film, especially movie fans and aspiring filmmakers, you will have something to sink your teeth in. Very, very good surprise and great reflection inducing film, don't miss it and praise again to Shailene Woodley for her talent!
Film begins slowly but draws you into its drama
ketgup8326 September 2014
Movies based on novel are alluring as generally the distributors and producer choose the best selling to adapt into a film. White Bird in a Blizzard. written by Laura Kasischke, is well-executed coming-of- age drama with commendable performances and heart-felt story between a mother and daughter.
White Bird in a Blizzard tells the story of a teenager whose life changes when her mother disappears suddenly.
Unknown to Hollywood, Gregg Araki did pretty good job in screen adaption of the novel. The movie will take some time to build on you as it is meant for niche audience but when it does, there is no holding back. The pace is slow and the initial reel will bore out of your mind.It is engrossing especially in the later half which surrounds the mystery of Eva Green's disappearance. Screenplay is a roller-coaster ride. Editing was fine but could be better. Art direction and cinematography is good. Dialogues are nice. The movie boast of some strong performances. Shailene Woodley and Eva Green are outstanding and will surprise with applauding performances.
Overall, Film begins slowly but draws you into its drama. Good 3 /5
https://www.facebook.com/FilmyChowk
White Bird in a Blizzard tells the story of a teenager whose life changes when her mother disappears suddenly.
Unknown to Hollywood, Gregg Araki did pretty good job in screen adaption of the novel. The movie will take some time to build on you as it is meant for niche audience but when it does, there is no holding back. The pace is slow and the initial reel will bore out of your mind.It is engrossing especially in the later half which surrounds the mystery of Eva Green's disappearance. Screenplay is a roller-coaster ride. Editing was fine but could be better. Art direction and cinematography is good. Dialogues are nice. The movie boast of some strong performances. Shailene Woodley and Eva Green are outstanding and will surprise with applauding performances.
Overall, Film begins slowly but draws you into its drama. Good 3 /5
https://www.facebook.com/FilmyChowk
Better than expected
bgar-8093222 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this movie because my wife wanted to so I didn't have any real expectations for it. It's about a dysfunctional family where the mother is increasingly unhappy and bitter. One day the mom is just gone and the dad and daughter have to pick up the pieces. It turns into a movie about finding out what happened to the mom but for much of it it's just about how the daughter copes and her life after her mom. The acting is pretty good and while it is slow it kept me interested the vast majority of it. Decent flick.
Strong Coming of Age Story
alisonc-122 July 2014
Kat is a 17-year-old girl in the suburbs, growing up in the late 1980s and observing her parents' dysfunctional marriage at close hand while trying to cope with first love, relationships, sex and friendships - all the growing pains that being 17 involves. When her mother disappears one day, the police think she's probably run off, perhaps with a boyfriend; Kat thinks her mother just got so fed up with her boring, empty, perfect-housewife life that she finally left it to find something better. Kat herself doesn't know how she feels about that; truly, she doesn't really feel much of anything, especially because her mother had recently been so intrusive in her life. Her father seems meek and lost after her mother leaves, but both of them will eventually have to pick up the pieces and go on. If only Kat would stop having those disturbing dreams about where her mother might be....
This is really far more of a coming-of-age story than it is anything else; aside from some dream images, there's very little that would fit the term "fantastical," even though I saw it at Montreal's Fantasia Festival. There is some very fine acting, from Eva Green as the mother, Shailene Woodley as Kat, Christopher Meloni as Kat's father and Thomas Jane as a police detective, and both writer/director Gregg Araki (from the novel by Laura Kasischke) and the cast do a very good job of capturing that confusing stage of adolescence, where one is not quite fully grown up but is certainly not at all a child anymore either. I very much enjoyed the film, even if Fantasia is an odd place to see it!
This is really far more of a coming-of-age story than it is anything else; aside from some dream images, there's very little that would fit the term "fantastical," even though I saw it at Montreal's Fantasia Festival. There is some very fine acting, from Eva Green as the mother, Shailene Woodley as Kat, Christopher Meloni as Kat's father and Thomas Jane as a police detective, and both writer/director Gregg Araki (from the novel by Laura Kasischke) and the cast do a very good job of capturing that confusing stage of adolescence, where one is not quite fully grown up but is certainly not at all a child anymore either. I very much enjoyed the film, even if Fantasia is an odd place to see it!
Lady Vanishes
sol-26 November 2016
Haunted by snowbound dreams and visions since her mother's abrupt disappearance, a teenager has trouble processing her grief in this sombre drama from Gregg Araki with Shailene Woodley in the lead role. Less outrageous and nihilistic than the movies Araki first made his name with, 'White Bird in a Blizzard' initially seems quite tame for the esteemed director, but much like 'Mysterious Skin', the film involves a youth wrestling with unhappy memories and a knowledge that she does not really want to face. While Woodley's dreams and visions at first appear to lead her to her mother's whereabouts, they actually represent all the clues and hints along the way that she has repressed, not wanting to really discover the truth of the matter. All the flashbacks reveal a rocky relationship between Woodley and her mother to the point that she probably took it as a blessing in disguise when her mother vanished, and much of the film is therefore about her feelings of guilt; she is only able to solve the mystery once she reconciles the fact that she wished her mother away immediately before her disappearance. Promising as all this might sound, the film is never quite as focused as it arguably ought to be with lots of prolonged periods in which her mother barely crosses her mind. Eva Green's performance as her mother is also problematic. Few actresses can play sinister as well as her, but she looks far too young to have a teen daughter. Woodley is solid throughout though and the underrated Dale Dickey has a nice turn as her blind next door neighbour.
Predictable, gloomy, and boring.
doubleb589 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Kat's mother up and disappears. Kat immediately starts sleeping with the detective on the case. There are flashbacks where we see Kat's mother treating her like a pet "cat" and being a cold hearted bitch to her father. Kat has dreams of walking through a snowstorm and her mother calling her name. Kat's boyfriend acts suspiciously when Kat comes home from college. There is a flashback scene when the freezer in the basement becomes unplugged by accident and stinks up the house. As soon as this scene occurs, the ending is obvious. The snowstorm represents the inside of the freezer, where Kat's mother's body is. Her dad killed her mother and hid the body in the freezer. Except we have no sympathy for Kat, who tells her therapist that she doesn't miss her mother at all, and just wants to sleep with guys. Nor any for her mother, who right from the start, like stated earlier, is just a cold hearted bitch. And of course, there has to be a homosexual element to the story, as every single movie and TV show has these days. Skip this movie. It's a waste of 90 minutes.
A Testament To Why You Should Get Out Of Bad Relationships ASAP.
wandernn1-81-6832745 August 2022
Finally a movie that fits a lot of acceptable criteria. Skin in a sex scene. Some great actors. Eva Green, Chris Meloni, Thomas Jane, and good performances by Shiloh Fernandez and Shailene Woodley.
Went from predictable to unpredictable to predictable to wow, nice twist. At least for me anyway. The end was great.
8/10.
Went from predictable to unpredictable to predictable to wow, nice twist. At least for me anyway. The end was great.
8/10.
Woodley leads effective Mystery/thriller/coming-of-age
ArchonCinemaReviews10 November 2014
In 1988, a seventeen year old's mother disappeared, this is her story.
No, this isn't an episode of Law and Order even if Christopher Meloni is in the film. White Bird in a Blizzard is a book adaptation of the novel by Laura Kasischke about a teen whose cantankerous and belligerent mother goes missing and the catharsis from her disappearance.
Shailene Woodley plays the tenacious and bright Kat Connor whose once loving mother, played by the on-her-way-to-type-casting Eva Green, turned menacingly jealous and neurotic once Kat approached puberty. Kat's father is the meek and spineless doting fool with no substance, a significant change for actor Christopher Meloni. Their averagely dysfunctional family is the center of a police inquiry once the mother abruptly goes missing. White Bird in a Blizzard highlights how Kat copes and grapples with the emotional effect her mother had on her in the toxic past and the omitted present.
A decidedly sexual narrative, White Bird in a Blizzard is not the mystery-thriller you may expect based on the film's summary. Gregg Araki's take on Kasischke's content has a unique perspective that provides it with a very new feel. The film itself is mildly reminiscent of The Lovely Bones due to his heavy usage of symbolic dream sequences and the wise-beyond-her-years protagonist who is a teenage girl.
White Bird in a Blizzard has a stellar soundtrack and music choices that really transports the viewer to the late 1980's. The acting in the film is stellar and far more nuanced than expected. Eva Green is especially more subtle than usual roles though Green's performance is still on the strong side and her natural accent is distracting and stops the viewer from completely immersing in the scenes.
Kat's observances of the world around her are penetratingly cognizant but still appropriate for a prematurely disillusioned teenager, compliments most likely owed to Laura Kasischke. In particular, the scenes where Kat grapples with the disappearance in therapy sessions, her 'home' friends and her sexual partner were engaging. One particular opinion regarding Kat's boyfriend that I particularly liked and I believe is a nice snippet from the film without being a spoiler: "He is so simple that when you scratch the surface, there is just more surface."
I wish Araki had chosen to utilize the voice overs less as I find Woodley's acting ability to not translate in voice overs and greatly decrease in effectiveness. Further, dream sequences in novels are almost always a let down in films and I wish Araki had chosen a different way to portray that content without a literally translated dream scene.
No, this isn't an episode of Law and Order even if Christopher Meloni is in the film. White Bird in a Blizzard is a book adaptation of the novel by Laura Kasischke about a teen whose cantankerous and belligerent mother goes missing and the catharsis from her disappearance.
Shailene Woodley plays the tenacious and bright Kat Connor whose once loving mother, played by the on-her-way-to-type-casting Eva Green, turned menacingly jealous and neurotic once Kat approached puberty. Kat's father is the meek and spineless doting fool with no substance, a significant change for actor Christopher Meloni. Their averagely dysfunctional family is the center of a police inquiry once the mother abruptly goes missing. White Bird in a Blizzard highlights how Kat copes and grapples with the emotional effect her mother had on her in the toxic past and the omitted present.
A decidedly sexual narrative, White Bird in a Blizzard is not the mystery-thriller you may expect based on the film's summary. Gregg Araki's take on Kasischke's content has a unique perspective that provides it with a very new feel. The film itself is mildly reminiscent of The Lovely Bones due to his heavy usage of symbolic dream sequences and the wise-beyond-her-years protagonist who is a teenage girl.
White Bird in a Blizzard has a stellar soundtrack and music choices that really transports the viewer to the late 1980's. The acting in the film is stellar and far more nuanced than expected. Eva Green is especially more subtle than usual roles though Green's performance is still on the strong side and her natural accent is distracting and stops the viewer from completely immersing in the scenes.
Kat's observances of the world around her are penetratingly cognizant but still appropriate for a prematurely disillusioned teenager, compliments most likely owed to Laura Kasischke. In particular, the scenes where Kat grapples with the disappearance in therapy sessions, her 'home' friends and her sexual partner were engaging. One particular opinion regarding Kat's boyfriend that I particularly liked and I believe is a nice snippet from the film without being a spoiler: "He is so simple that when you scratch the surface, there is just more surface."
I wish Araki had chosen to utilize the voice overs less as I find Woodley's acting ability to not translate in voice overs and greatly decrease in effectiveness. Further, dream sequences in novels are almost always a let down in films and I wish Araki had chosen a different way to portray that content without a literally translated dream scene.
Not that great
Seth_Rogue_One13 February 2016
This movie is a hard movie to rate I feel, although many scenes are well orchestrated together as a movie it just doesn't make you feel anything, and the ending is clearly meant to be moving and shocking but it's really not.
Acting is... Okay, it's not bad but again the cast fail to make you sympathise with any of them, visually it's really good looking so that's always a plus but a lot of times the movie seems more focused on showcasing Shailene Woodley's breasts than anything else.
Now there's nothing wrong with them at all, in fact they are pretty neat however I'd prefer her keeping her clothes on if that meant that the director could focus on telling the story in it's best way as possible.
Listed as a drama/mystery/thriller but the drama that is feel too flat and superficial to ever hit an emotional core, even though it tries in the end but by then it's too late and based on how the characters interacted with each other previous having that boastful dramatic ending simply does not make much sense.
As far as the mystery well... sure there is some mystery I suppose but there are only so many ways it can end so it doesn't become very successful in that department either, plus most times it focuses on the teenager's sex-life more than anything else.
As far as the thriller goes, well even less there going on honestly, there's not many scenes of suspense here to be found.
No tbh it felt like this movie would work a lot better if they did it as a dark comedy and went a little more crazy with it, I think the movie could have succeeded at being that with just minor tweaks to the script.
I was debating whether to give it a 5 or a 4 but after writing down my thoughts here it has to be a 4 after all, there is talent involved but the movie just kinda feels a bit pointless.
Acting is... Okay, it's not bad but again the cast fail to make you sympathise with any of them, visually it's really good looking so that's always a plus but a lot of times the movie seems more focused on showcasing Shailene Woodley's breasts than anything else.
Now there's nothing wrong with them at all, in fact they are pretty neat however I'd prefer her keeping her clothes on if that meant that the director could focus on telling the story in it's best way as possible.
Listed as a drama/mystery/thriller but the drama that is feel too flat and superficial to ever hit an emotional core, even though it tries in the end but by then it's too late and based on how the characters interacted with each other previous having that boastful dramatic ending simply does not make much sense.
As far as the mystery well... sure there is some mystery I suppose but there are only so many ways it can end so it doesn't become very successful in that department either, plus most times it focuses on the teenager's sex-life more than anything else.
As far as the thriller goes, well even less there going on honestly, there's not many scenes of suspense here to be found.
No tbh it felt like this movie would work a lot better if they did it as a dark comedy and went a little more crazy with it, I think the movie could have succeeded at being that with just minor tweaks to the script.
I was debating whether to give it a 5 or a 4 but after writing down my thoughts here it has to be a 4 after all, there is talent involved but the movie just kinda feels a bit pointless.
Pretty bad
Red_Identity8 November 2014
I had heard some unenthusiastic responses on here, but I didn't imagine it to be this awful. At times it certainly hit it's-so-bad- it's-good levels, but it was just so... stupid to even enjoy it like that at times. Some of the dialogue is atrocious, the acting as well, but the script calls for it so it's hard to place too much blame on it. Still, Eva Green, wow. Was the film supposed to be emotionally effective? Was that last flashback/revelation supposed to be anything other than completely laughable?. I'm guessing so, considering the sad, sad score playing at the end. What a fail.
There are several moments in the film that are just there and not really awful or anything, but when it is it just makes you forget the mediocrity and dullness of those scenes completely and makes you remember and concentrate specifically on the awfulness.
Probably the second worst film I've seen this year, 2nd to Lucy. How both haven't gotten even worse reviews is baffling to me.
Oh, and Woodley is also just there. She brings nothing to it, certainly nothing to warrant a viewing just for her (like I stupidly did)
There are several moments in the film that are just there and not really awful or anything, but when it is it just makes you forget the mediocrity and dullness of those scenes completely and makes you remember and concentrate specifically on the awfulness.
Probably the second worst film I've seen this year, 2nd to Lucy. How both haven't gotten even worse reviews is baffling to me.
Oh, and Woodley is also just there. She brings nothing to it, certainly nothing to warrant a viewing just for her (like I stupidly did)
An Interesting Departure For Araki
gavin69422 March 2015
In 1988, a teenage girl (Shailene Woodley)'s life is thrown into chaos when her mother (Eva Green) disappears.
Although I am not familiar with Shailene Woodley's career (impressive as it may be), I have followed Gregg Araki since the mid-1990s and have enjoyed almost everything he has done. This film is a bit of a departure, but also a bit of a return. While not as nihilistic as his 90s films, there are themes here that are reminiscent of that era. Much more so than his film "Happy", which seemed completely outside his realm (though still good).
Most notable is the soundtrack. Araki really "gets" the club scene of the 80s and 90s, with its metal and goth feel. Clubs that catered to underage kids, and exposed them to alternate lifestyles... while blasting everything from Ministry to Echo and the Bunnymen.
Pop Insomniacs said, "We've seen versions of this story several times, but never quite mangled together like this before, which is precisely why I was so captivated, uncomfortable and surprised by this movie." Reviews in general tend to be negative, with some dismissing it as a little more than the typical suburban malaise that has been done again and again. But there is something more.
Although I am not familiar with Shailene Woodley's career (impressive as it may be), I have followed Gregg Araki since the mid-1990s and have enjoyed almost everything he has done. This film is a bit of a departure, but also a bit of a return. While not as nihilistic as his 90s films, there are themes here that are reminiscent of that era. Much more so than his film "Happy", which seemed completely outside his realm (though still good).
Most notable is the soundtrack. Araki really "gets" the club scene of the 80s and 90s, with its metal and goth feel. Clubs that catered to underage kids, and exposed them to alternate lifestyles... while blasting everything from Ministry to Echo and the Bunnymen.
Pop Insomniacs said, "We've seen versions of this story several times, but never quite mangled together like this before, which is precisely why I was so captivated, uncomfortable and surprised by this movie." Reviews in general tend to be negative, with some dismissing it as a little more than the typical suburban malaise that has been done again and again. But there is something more.
Plenty potential, but has an ultimately inadequate plot.
punishmentpark26 May 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This is some kind of beautiful train-wreck. The atmosphere - the total of settings, clothing, soundtrack and characters - is a truly enchanting portrayal of the late '80s / early '90s. Except for the dream sequences; they were merely okay, but luckily they were short. Also, the scenes at the psychologist weren't very imaginative, but they did have their part in the story.
The story itself is where the main problem lies. Although I liked the combination of drama (coming of age) and suspense, I'm just not sure what to make of it. The hints indicating the father's complicity in the mother's disappearance can't be missed, and when finally a lock on the freezer is discovered, there's no question about him being guilty. But straight after he manages to convince Kat he didn't do it, or so it seems, because immediately after that we see her saying goodbye to him in a very unsure manner. Then it turns out he indeed did kill his wife, and even the (unexpected) events that lead up to that - that scene was not convincing at all, especially acting-wise.
Somehow I still love the whole atmosphere of the film (9 out of 10 at least) and take the strange plot (3 out of 10) for granted. Other parts of the plot, such as the relationship with the cop and her friends on the other hand, were perfectly in place.
It's a strange one, and I'll certainly give it another go sometime, but for now I'm stuck at about 6 out of 10.
The story itself is where the main problem lies. Although I liked the combination of drama (coming of age) and suspense, I'm just not sure what to make of it. The hints indicating the father's complicity in the mother's disappearance can't be missed, and when finally a lock on the freezer is discovered, there's no question about him being guilty. But straight after he manages to convince Kat he didn't do it, or so it seems, because immediately after that we see her saying goodbye to him in a very unsure manner. Then it turns out he indeed did kill his wife, and even the (unexpected) events that lead up to that - that scene was not convincing at all, especially acting-wise.
Somehow I still love the whole atmosphere of the film (9 out of 10 at least) and take the strange plot (3 out of 10) for granted. Other parts of the plot, such as the relationship with the cop and her friends on the other hand, were perfectly in place.
It's a strange one, and I'll certainly give it another go sometime, but for now I'm stuck at about 6 out of 10.
Lurid Melodrama
3xHCCH14 November 2014
Kat's mom, Eve Connor, was an elegant woman who did not relish her married domesticity over the years, becoming miserable and unstable. When Kat was 17-years old, Eve suddenly just disappeared from their house without a trace. Her dad Brock was devastated and distraught. Kat though moved on quite easily with her raging hormones. love affairs and college. When Kat comes home from college on a break though, unsettled issues about her mom's disappearance simply refused to die down.
American indie film director Greg Araki directed this film with his own screenplay adapted from the novel by Laura Kasischke. The story is a strange mishmash of various genres, from family drama to police drama, to teenage angst drama. There is a heavy dose of sexuality here, with lead star Shailene Woodley actually having nude scenes.
Woodley carries the film well as the central character Kat. Earlier this year, she just broke through into mainstream consciousness in two big hit films, as heroine Tris in "Divergent" and as Hazel in "The Fault in Our Stars". She plays another teenager here, but with different adventures, mostly of the sexual kind. Her daring was quite unexpected for a serious young lead actress in this day, unlike the 80s or 90s.
Solid and sexy as Woodley was though, she was still upstaged by Eva Green playing her disturbed mother, Eve. This vitally sensual woman simply has a commanding screen presence that her other co-stars in any film would find hard to match. From "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Casino Royale", then recently in "300: Rise of an Empire" or "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For", Eva Green always ends up as the star audiences will remember most.
The male actors play support to the ladies here. Playing the father Brock is the charismatic and reliable actor mostly known for his TV work, Chris Meloni. During the flashback scenes, Meloni and his toupee provided that little touch of humor this film needed. Thomas Jane plays the macho cop assigned to the Connor case, who gets a little to much involved. Shiloh Fernandez plays the libidinous boy next door who got Kat started on her sexual escapades, among other people.
For me, this film was two different films each of which could stand on their own, but these two are connected with a tenuous and awkward bond. One was about Kat and her issues. One was about Eve and her issues. Together though, the totality of the film comes across as an uneven and lurid family melodrama that is not exactly easy to digest. 6/10.
American indie film director Greg Araki directed this film with his own screenplay adapted from the novel by Laura Kasischke. The story is a strange mishmash of various genres, from family drama to police drama, to teenage angst drama. There is a heavy dose of sexuality here, with lead star Shailene Woodley actually having nude scenes.
Woodley carries the film well as the central character Kat. Earlier this year, she just broke through into mainstream consciousness in two big hit films, as heroine Tris in "Divergent" and as Hazel in "The Fault in Our Stars". She plays another teenager here, but with different adventures, mostly of the sexual kind. Her daring was quite unexpected for a serious young lead actress in this day, unlike the 80s or 90s.
Solid and sexy as Woodley was though, she was still upstaged by Eva Green playing her disturbed mother, Eve. This vitally sensual woman simply has a commanding screen presence that her other co-stars in any film would find hard to match. From "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Casino Royale", then recently in "300: Rise of an Empire" or "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For", Eva Green always ends up as the star audiences will remember most.
The male actors play support to the ladies here. Playing the father Brock is the charismatic and reliable actor mostly known for his TV work, Chris Meloni. During the flashback scenes, Meloni and his toupee provided that little touch of humor this film needed. Thomas Jane plays the macho cop assigned to the Connor case, who gets a little to much involved. Shiloh Fernandez plays the libidinous boy next door who got Kat started on her sexual escapades, among other people.
For me, this film was two different films each of which could stand on their own, but these two are connected with a tenuous and awkward bond. One was about Kat and her issues. One was about Eve and her issues. Together though, the totality of the film comes across as an uneven and lurid family melodrama that is not exactly easy to digest. 6/10.
The twist of not being a twist
mmbendavid9 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Great acting by Shailene Woodley (as usual) and Eva Green in a story simple and straightforward. Woodley is more daring that what we are used to, and that's refreshing as reinforces her character as a 80's emo-rebel girl with family issues. The most interesting about this story is the twist or not being really a twist. It is suggested so clearly that the father killed the mother, that you think "this can't be true, it would be too obvious" and at the end it is true and it is informed to the viewer in a very sudden way in the last 2 minutes of the film. Didn't find it challenging. The real twist I suppose was the relationship between the father and the boyfriend, but it was not shocking or interesting enough. In summary, nice movie, worth seeing especially if you are a Shailene Woodley fan, but wait for it being showed in cable.
Kooky, Laughable, Livid, Ludicrous and Lurid
Siebert_Tenseven12 October 2014
I completely enjoyed this film and am looking forward to watching it again. I enjoy Gregg Araki's work because it's always a bit strange, and this film is no exception. Everyone acts a little weird and does a great job of it. A few of the script lines had me laughing out loud. The pacing is stop and go so be prepared for that. In addition, there are some things that might not make sense, so if you like things to be all set up in the correct compartments, forget it. Essentially, a lot of Araki's films are about getting out of the comfort zone. Obviously this creates a lot of anxiety among motion picture producers and even more so amongst the viewers of his films. The fact that this film exists at all is a testament to the perseverance of a director with a unique skew on the world and the gift of being able to capture it.
Give you the chills...
natashabowiepinky7 January 2015
A brilliant performance by newcomer Shailene Woodley is at the centre of this absorbing tale of a loveless family's breakdown, based on a book I was too lazy to read. She plays a young teenager who's parents have long ceased to care about each other... He seems to be a hapless doormat under her thumb, and she isn't getting any 'action' in bed... And so throws herself at her daughter's hunky yet dumb-as-a-post boyfriend. One day, after weeks of odd behaviour from the teen's mother, she just disappears.
Could she have run off? Killed herself? Or something even more startling than that? In any case, it doesn't seem to bother our protagonist too much... Her mother was emotionally distant at best, after all, so to her it was no big loss. She starts to interact with her dad more, and even begins at an affair with the middle-aged cop assigned to her mum's case. But as time wears on, and suspicions grow, she may just find out there's more to the people around her than meets the eye...
White Bird In A Blizzard is, at heart, just a compelling drama about the lives of everyday folk. Sure, she may have come from a tempestuous background,even as our heroine takes refuge from her troubles in the twin vices of either sex or cigarettes, we somehow know she'll be okay. As portrayed by Woodley, she radiates strength... And she has two brilliant best friends to help her out. Who happen to be an obese black girl, and a flamboyantly gay man. In most other films, this might come across as pandering to minorities. Here though, they're fully fleshed out characters, who contribute throughout by offering good advice and being there for their mate when she needs them. The pair playing this odd duo do wonderful work too, I must add.
Eva Green is memorably slutty and desperate as the mother you definitely would NOT want to introduce your first crush too, and Christopher Meloni stands out as the mild mannered, shrewish dad who MAY be hiding something. But mostly, this is Woodley's film, and as she grows up, dealing what life as thrown at her while the truth finally starts to dawn on her as to what REALLY happened that fateful day, it becomes a bit of a tour-de-force. And just when I thought I'd sussed it all, it saves it's BIGGEST surprise for right at the end...
A very satisfying hour and a half, and a great way to begin my movie watching for 2015... 7/10
Could she have run off? Killed herself? Or something even more startling than that? In any case, it doesn't seem to bother our protagonist too much... Her mother was emotionally distant at best, after all, so to her it was no big loss. She starts to interact with her dad more, and even begins at an affair with the middle-aged cop assigned to her mum's case. But as time wears on, and suspicions grow, she may just find out there's more to the people around her than meets the eye...
White Bird In A Blizzard is, at heart, just a compelling drama about the lives of everyday folk. Sure, she may have come from a tempestuous background,even as our heroine takes refuge from her troubles in the twin vices of either sex or cigarettes, we somehow know she'll be okay. As portrayed by Woodley, she radiates strength... And she has two brilliant best friends to help her out. Who happen to be an obese black girl, and a flamboyantly gay man. In most other films, this might come across as pandering to minorities. Here though, they're fully fleshed out characters, who contribute throughout by offering good advice and being there for their mate when she needs them. The pair playing this odd duo do wonderful work too, I must add.
Eva Green is memorably slutty and desperate as the mother you definitely would NOT want to introduce your first crush too, and Christopher Meloni stands out as the mild mannered, shrewish dad who MAY be hiding something. But mostly, this is Woodley's film, and as she grows up, dealing what life as thrown at her while the truth finally starts to dawn on her as to what REALLY happened that fateful day, it becomes a bit of a tour-de-force. And just when I thought I'd sussed it all, it saves it's BIGGEST surprise for right at the end...
A very satisfying hour and a half, and a great way to begin my movie watching for 2015... 7/10
The movie focused on the struggle of a teenage girl, who had to deal with the loss of her mother, and its affect on her family, after she unexpectedly disappears.
tbsmith1426 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I could not get into the movie. I did not like the characters played by anyone in the movie, so I could not get into it. I did not like the development of the story, so by the time it got to the end, though I was surprised by the ending, I did not care. The movie lacked that certain something that could really take it to the next level. I don't think the movie did proper justice to the loss the teenage girl suffered or gave enough hints about the wife's relationship with her husband, for me to care enough about either of them, even in the end. I did not cry or care one way or the other and that's not me. I easily am absorbed into a good movie and I could not do that with this movie. It definitely had potential, but it did not rise to the occasion. I did not like the movie or the way it made me feel, after watching it. I could have done without seeing it and will not see it again.
I am very satisfied with this movie.
powell-yendi27 September 2014
This movie starts off slowly. It is in the perspective of a gorgeous teenager who is solely concerned with her boyfriend. When her mom goes missing, she assumes that her mom kept her promise to leave her dad. As she recaps the relationship between her parents, the viewer is compelled to feel sorry for the wimpy father and agree with the teen's apathy towards her aggressive mother. In utter dismissal of her mom's abandonment, the teenager tries to focus on her boyfriend's reduced sexual interest. However, her intuition about her mother's disappearance keeps alerting her through inexplicable dreams. Then, when the teenager becomes an adult, things get GOOD! At the end, I realized that I really underestimated this movie. I had no idea this movie was going to be this good. I am glad I watched it and I want to see it again in order to catch some clues that I may have missed. The plot twist at the end REALLY caught me off-guard and I am still wondering if there was some hint throughout the movie that I missed. If anyone catches the hints, be sure to post them as spoilers.
Strange and mysterious, this is an indie worth your time
eddie_baggins30 November 2015
A curiously combined genre mashing of coming of age story and suburban mystery, famed indie director Greg Araki's adaptation of Laura Kasischke's book White Bird in a Blizzard is anything but formulaic which will alienate many viewers with its obscure tone but also win over its portion of fans with a narrative that remains constantly engaging even when things get undeniably weird.
With more than a dollop of David Lynch and even a hint of Tim Burton in the mix here, Araki has crafted an almost dreamlike state of a movie that often finds just the right amount of seriousness and curios. The central plot line of Shailene Woodley's Kat Connors, a teen growing up amidst the strange and out of nowhere disappearance of her struggling with the mundanities of life wife and stay at home mum Eve, is but a jumping off point for Araki to explore a range of emotions felt by those going through adolescence and in doing so he creates a film that is all at once both reflective and relatable and also highly unusual. Paramount to Blizzard's success as a feature film is the increasingly impressive Woodley who is the heart and soul of this dark tale.
So good in smaller budget character studies like The Descendants and the fantastic The Spectacular Now, it's great to see Woodley once more shy away from the likes of Fault in our Stars and the dreary double pronged attack of Divergent and Insurgent and Blizzard could just be her most astute performance yet in what is a role that requires her both emotionally and psychically to bare quite a bit. Outside of Woodley's turn there is sadly yet another overblown Eva Green performance who is quickly becoming one of the most irritating performers on the big screen but in some ways her troubled character of Eve requires some left of field antics.
Filmed with a finely sensed humour and some downright darkness, White Bird in a Blizzard is a film all unto its own and a film that could just become a new favourite for those that like their films more Donnie Darko than The Avengers. With an unsuspecting final act bookending an always intriguing set up, Blizzard is a quiet and low key achievement that ranks as one of Araki's most efficient and evocative films and yet another showcase for Woodley's exciting career trajectory.
3 ½ awkward dinner invites out of 5
With more than a dollop of David Lynch and even a hint of Tim Burton in the mix here, Araki has crafted an almost dreamlike state of a movie that often finds just the right amount of seriousness and curios. The central plot line of Shailene Woodley's Kat Connors, a teen growing up amidst the strange and out of nowhere disappearance of her struggling with the mundanities of life wife and stay at home mum Eve, is but a jumping off point for Araki to explore a range of emotions felt by those going through adolescence and in doing so he creates a film that is all at once both reflective and relatable and also highly unusual. Paramount to Blizzard's success as a feature film is the increasingly impressive Woodley who is the heart and soul of this dark tale.
So good in smaller budget character studies like The Descendants and the fantastic The Spectacular Now, it's great to see Woodley once more shy away from the likes of Fault in our Stars and the dreary double pronged attack of Divergent and Insurgent and Blizzard could just be her most astute performance yet in what is a role that requires her both emotionally and psychically to bare quite a bit. Outside of Woodley's turn there is sadly yet another overblown Eva Green performance who is quickly becoming one of the most irritating performers on the big screen but in some ways her troubled character of Eve requires some left of field antics.
Filmed with a finely sensed humour and some downright darkness, White Bird in a Blizzard is a film all unto its own and a film that could just become a new favourite for those that like their films more Donnie Darko than The Avengers. With an unsuspecting final act bookending an always intriguing set up, Blizzard is a quiet and low key achievement that ranks as one of Araki's most efficient and evocative films and yet another showcase for Woodley's exciting career trajectory.
3 ½ awkward dinner invites out of 5
2min out of 91
labikkina16 December 2014
"Nice-to-watch-on-a-Sunday-afternoon-if you-don't-have-anything- better-to-do." kind of movie. I liked the photography, the soundtrack, and scenography, though. Not so much the plot which is a poor vehicle for what the central idea of the movie is or tries to be. The acting wasn't exactly Oscar material either, specially the girl playing Cat. I couldn't hate her and I couldn't feel any sympathy for her either. She was just annoying and that detracts a lot from the message that the film as a whole seeks to deliver. They could have cast a different actress who was able to add more depth to the character and not make it appear so trivial, Shailene Woodley just confused indifference with shallowness, two different concepts. The plot reveals itself early, no need to be particularly observant to imagine what could have happened and there are many obvious reasons for that, however the motive that set in motion the events resulted a bit less predictable and those turned out to be the only 2min out of 91min of film that I found somewhat interesting.
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