The first thing I said to my friend, who has worked in the movie business for 30 years, after we exited the theater, was "What was this movie about?" I still don't know. Here's what I do know. You won't see a more depressing movie this year and, as the film lacks any meaning, you won't find a more fatal combo. This ensemble piece would have us believe that every adult living in the small town in which the film takes place, has nothing but problems causing endless unhappiness. Story primarily follows Beckinsale and Rockwell, high school sweetheats, who are now separated. Rockwell is a totally unlikable character who moves between alcoholism, depression, self-hatred and religious foibles. I could never figure out why Beckinsale was with him. She's the type of girl who always escapes this small town dreariness and winds up in LA or NY, usually on the arm of some millionaire. That being said, anyone paying the slightest attention could even see the tragic end coming from the first or second scene. Also, the happy relationship between the two teenagers gives us a hopeful ending that contradicted everything else in the film and was dishonest. The only thing we could reasonably expect is that they, too, would wind up as unhappy as every adult in this picturesque, yet miserable town. The acting was the only thing that saved the film from being a total disaster. Sometimes I wonder whether the indie film movement exists so that films like this can get made. While it is true that some of the great films of the last 20 years have come out of the indie scene, there needs to be some limits on uber-depressing films that illuminate nothing more than misery. Don't be misled by some of the comments that you've read on this site and elsewhere. A total bummer.
Review of Snow Angels
