Review of White Bird in a Blizzard (2014) by Kyle B — 23 Feb 2015

Some material works better as a novel than it does as a film, and White Bird in a Blizzard is a perfect example of this. Now, to be fair, I've never read the novel, but from the direction Gregg Araki took his adaptation, it's clear that this should have been, either handled differently or, left as a words on a page. I've never really subscribed to the field of thought that say, "The book is always better than the movie." For example, no one has ever said, "That novelization of Ghostbusters is way better than the movie." I think there are ideas that work really well in the written word medium, some that work best in graphic novel form, and some that are best in a visual medium.

White Bird in a Blizzard is a great example of a story that worked better when reading than when you actually see it. And it's not due to bad performances. When you have Eva Green as a psychotic mother, doing her best Mommy Dearest impression, Gabourey Sidibe, Angela Basset, and Christopher Meloni as your supporting cast, and Shailene Woodley doing another great job as a coming-of-age heroine, it's hard to blame the performances. All of the performers are really working to make these characters seem like real people dealing with real problems.

The script and direction are the weakness here. Every scene seems like something straight out of a book, and not in a way that enhances the scene. The dialogue feels flat and stilted in the mouths of the actor, and you can't help but think, this was better as a piece of prose. The flashbacks and dream sequences are almost laughable, but I'm sure in the novel they were great pieces of symbolism.

It's not a bad story, but it's not a good film. Everything comes across as a little too melodramatic, in a way that novels can get away with. Because in a novel, you don't have the overbearing score or the dramatic lighting. You're just focused on the story. Films require something more, and for this reason, White Bird in a Blizzard doesn't work as well as it should.