Review of Winter Passing (2006) by Arend R — 22 Aug 2010

This movie is a kinda nice story but we have seen the weird homecoming scenario in much better mood-splashes than this (re: 'Lovesong for Bobby Long', much better film). In my opinion Harris is misscast as the old suicide papa. He just still seems to fit of a man that he can pull of the broken old oak like he was supposed to. I didn't believe him. The characters in this movie feel much too passive and just react to the constant downward beats they get hit by day in and day out. It's depressing and the hope in the end feels artificial. I think the movie fails mostly because its lead character is not likeable enough to feel her pain. She kills a cat by drowning it?? Who does that? Could she not find a less cruel way? She lost me right there and didn't recover and I bet most of the audience feels the same way. Whether they know it or not.

Still the movie delivers some moody moments which are enjoyable and all together it is interesting enough to make you want to see where it goes. So it's not a terrible movie. If it weren't so clichéd it would be above mediocre, but a self-loathing, ex-bestseller writer-genius, a dead suicide-mother, a weird, semi-retarded wannabe musician, a beautiful, ex-grad orphan and zooey deschanel as an actress/cocain addict/nut-case/lost daughter-mixture - all living (or not) in one house is just too perfect of a mess.

Another example of sometimes less is more...

But in the end it's all a matter of taste. Like wasabi.