Snow Cake

The cast is fantastic: Alan Rickman (Love Actually, Harry Potter), Sigourney Weaver (Alien, The Village) and Carrie-Anne Moss (Matrix, Disturbia).

The story is one of closure that beautifully illustrates the impact of trust, friendship and acceptance. Alex Hughes, played by Rickman, is an ex-convict traveling by car to Winnipeg to see an old friend. He encounters a vivacious and irreverent young woman, Vivienne Freeman (Emily Hampshire), that manages to bum a ride from him. They are involved in a serious car accident that kills Vivienne yet he emerges from the accident with only a few scratches and bruises.

Hughes seeks out Vivienne's mother as a way to find closure and peace for his grief. He soon comes to the realization that Vivienne's mother, Linda (Sigourney Weaver), is a high-functioning verbal autistic. After her insistent request, he agrees to stay with her until after Vivienne's funeral.

This movie is what I call "heady and chewy." It is thought provoking and leaves me with much to mull over well after the ending credits. I enjoyed it tremendously and recommend it with the caveat: It is an independent movie with a slow, thoughtful pace. While it was not a tear-jerker for me, there were moments of such saddening heartache. If you want a fast-paced action film, this is not the movie for you. Go see Hot Fuzz instead.

I enjoyed Linda's ability to be incredibly direct and ever present in the moment. Her response to a neighbor on the street that offered her condolences on "the loss of your daughter" was "I didn't lose my daughter. She's dead."

It seems to me that as a society we are fully engulfed in being politically correct that we lose the precision of our language. It is entirely possible to be direct in our communication without being rude. Why is it so easily accepted that someone with an affliction can be that direct yet we are expected to sugarcoat everything?

At one point in the film, Hughes expresses his thoughts on Linda to Linda. She is the only person that has fully accepted him without his need to defend or explain himself. I found that very moving. How many people have ever accepted you fully? Faults, strengths, and all? How many people have you fully accepted without wanting to change just a little bit that one thing that annoys you about them? Hm, something to definitely chew on and consider what it would bring to my life if I fully accepted others.

Snow Cake is currently playing at the Laemmle Theaters: Sunset 5, West Hollywood and One Colorado, Pasadena. Official movie website: www.snowcakemovie.co.uk. Movie trailer: www.snowcakemovie.co.uk/trailer.php. Written by Angela Pell. Directed by Marc Evans.

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Elite Bautista is a mom, freelance writer, and web designer/developer. You can read her blog at: www.lab5091.com.