Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
'Snow' Takes the Cake, January 1, 2008
An interesting study of the human psyche that pushes all the buttons of its viewers with room to spare, "Snow Cake" is an eye-opening, life affirming experience in the form of an indie film. Marking the screenwriting debut of Angela Pell, it was directed by Marc Evans and screened to heavy fanfare at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and is at last available on DVD for a wider audience to appreciate.
Fresh off a four year prison stint for a mysterious murder charge, Alex Hughes, played by the fantastic Alan Rickman, is a docile, middle-aged Englishman on the way to Winnipeg, Canada. Not receptive to company after a long plane ride, he is approached in a diner by Vivienne, a young woman with a bubbly personality played by Emily Hampshire. Chatty and extroverted, she invites herself to sit down at his table and tells him all about herself. He is not in the mood to chat, but begrudgingly lets her bum a ride in his truck.
During their trip she eventually gets him to open up, and they establish a lovely rapport. Unfortunately, near the end of their journey they are rammed by a tractor trailer and Vivienne is killed instantly. Rattled and wholly devastated at her loss, Alex is compelled to contact her mother, Linda, played with unprecedented skill by Sigourney Weaver, to explain what happened as well as deliver gifts Vivienne bought.
When he meets Linda, he discovers that she is a high-functioning autistic woman who barely strays from her home and has a myriad of obsessions, among them cleanliness ("Don't go in my kitchen!"), her trampoline and, strangely, snow. Nonetheless upset at her daughter's death, she is inhibited by her disease which tempers her outward devastation. He tries to apologize, but she sees no need for one.
"Did you do it in purpose?" she asks him.
"No, of course not, we just..."
"Then sit down then! I haven't got a problem with you - you must be alright because you gave Vivienne a lift, and you brought me my sparklies!" she says as she plays with them excitedly.
Linda persuades him to stay to assist her with funeral arrangements and put out the garbage on Tuesday ("I don't do garbage!"), as her parents are hiking in the mountains and cannot be reached to come to her assistance. Little does Alex know that he is embarking what are likely to be the defining days of his life.
He becomes involved with Linda's beautiful though equally mysterious neighbor Maggie, played by Carrie-Anne Moss, and is viewed with a watchful eye by the local townspeople, most particularly Clyde, a local police officer with eyes for Maggie played by James Allodi who digs into his troubled past. Getting to know more about Vivienne and her life, Alex learns even more about himself in the process.
"Vivienne wanted to be a writer," Linda tells him. "She said she would always try and get a ride with the most lonely looking characters because they had the best stories." As it turns out, it is her own death that proves the turning point in Alex's own story. A man trying to escape his past, he soon realizes through his experiences that the only way he can move on with his life is to confront his demons head on.
Rickman is positively endearing, with an innate ability to make viewers care for his protagonist, and Weaver's nuanced, challenging performance is simply a marvel of acting dexterity. Although she plays the kind of woman most go out of their way to avoid interacting with, she fully humanizes Linda and brings the viewer into her own little world where emotions are blunt and eating snow is a thrilling occasion. An unlikely angel, she facilitates Alex's need to move on to the next chapter of his life.
"Snow Cake" is certainly offbeat, but it is a deeply affecting film made to linger on the viewer's palette long after its viewing. Cutting right to the heart of human nature and the discordance of life, it is beautiful in its frankness and honesty.
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19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vivienne always picked the loneliest people to talk to, December 8, 2007
Because she wanted to be a writer and she believed they had the best stories.
She wasn't wrong when she picked Alex Hughes (Alan Rickman) out of all the diner customers to share a table with.
She really wasn't even wrong when she convinced him to give her a ride. The crash that killed her wasn't Alex's fault--a semi driver rammed his car and killed her.
Not knowing what else to do, Alex went to see Vivienne's Mom (Weaver) only to find that she was a high functioning autistic person with no one to care for her. Alex stayed til the funeral was over--and those days really are what the story is about.
Alex merely wants to help. While he doesn't understand Linda's condition, he very well knows the grief of losing a child and by helping her he is also working through his own issues. Rickman's portrayal of Alex may well be his best role in his career--and I have loved his performances for many years.
Weaver is also stellar as Linda. If I didn't know better, I would have said they'd recruited an autistic woman to play the role--and that to me, is the mark of really fine acting. The actor is lost when they become the part.
I cannot say this is a movie I would ever own. I doubt I will see "Snow Cake" again, but I would strongly recommend it to anyone who needs to deal with an autistic person. It's a very good illustration of how a high functioning autistic person relates to their environment.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Gem, June 23, 2007
I saw this movie on PPV and had been waiting for it a long time. I initially wanted to see it because of Alan Rickman (Alec). He was wonderful as usual, but his real genius in this film was to sit back and let Sigourney Weaver (Linda) play off of him. Not that Rickman didn't have his moments, but Weaver was really outstanding. In one scene, Alec is sobbing uncontrollably and Linda looks at him quizzically and asks if there is something wrong with the tea. That's just one little gem of a scene.
Don't look for romantic fireworks or a dramatic ending in this movie. It's just the story of three people with their own secrets brought together by a tragic event. I found myself drawn into their lives, as they were drawn into each other's lives.
Once you see this movie, you will understand why I say it was "dalzious."
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