Review of Snow Angels (2007) by Wes R — 05 Jul 2009

You have to give David Gordon Green credit, with every new movie he creates he continues to improve as both a writer and a director. Snow Angels is the best I've seen from Green thus far as he continues to put aside unneeded insert shots and gimmicky camera tricks to focus more tightly on character and story. This isn't to say, however, that Snow Angels is a haloed affair filled with illuminated saints and good deeds. For the most part, this film provides a bleak mid-winter view of a small town where life is hard and dreams are hard to come by. Thankfully, not every storyline ends tragically and there is just enough white in our gray bespeckled snow.

Snow Angels is also the type of film that can showcase quality acting and, thankfully, the film succeeds in doing just that. The entire cast including supporting players is top-notch. Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale deserve special recognition for their heartbreaking portrayals of Glenn and Annie.

Let me conclude on an honest note here. Snow Angels, while compellingly told and beautifully acted, is really not the type of film most folks went to bring home on a Saturday night. You will not necessarily love life after watching it. Yet, for a David Gordon Green film, here's a plus: you'll actually follow the plot line and see character arcs; this is glorious even if the final resulting angels are less pristine white and more gray/brown than we might hope.