You look at this film, especially the cover, and you think quirky comedy. Will Ferrell's in it, so you know it has to be a comedy. Well, it is quirky, but Winter Passing is not a comedy; it's actually a pretty bleak, depressing film.
This has got to be the most misunderstood and sadly overlooked movie of the year. It is very deep and heart felt, Dark and moody.
But it is so wonderfully written and acted, that it makes me sad that it didn't get the attention that it so deserved.
I admit, the first half hour were painful to watch.This is a slow, contemplative and unhurried movie, and depending on your tastes, some may find it rather flat and dull. Yes, this movie of one girl's journey to reconnect with her father is often monotonous and sometimes tedious, but it's also well acted and carefully nuanced. Director seems intent to incorporate a very minimalist script into the action, which in turn manages to convey a lot of feeling from saying very little.
The story line is quite simple, it's about hurting, lost people who come together and care for each other. Anyone who loves the idea of a tortured writer or actor will love this film. Plus there is a bit of comic relief courtesy of Will Ferrell's character that I couldn't imagine anyone else playing that role than him. It starts off a little slow, and does feel rushed at the end, but I think that's probably because by the end I felt somewhat attached to these characters that I didn't want it to end, nonetheless the ending didn't disappoint. We all have are flaws, realizing this and accepting it is something this film embraces.
I loved the imagery, the way she gives a feel for the harsh life alone all these years, the way she play the piano with barely nails in the loving boy's, he asked her "what are you afraid of".
I love the way I could almost feel the cold, the way it drove me nuts that everyone closed the garage door by putting their hand through the missing window pane, in the winter.
The scene of her sitting under the tree by the lake, reading the letters. Without any comment, you know how cold and hard that ground was, but she stayed until it got dark, discovering for the first time the love that was the foundation of the unhappy life she grew up in. That scene was so intense for me in its silence
This film is about learning how to feel, how to deal and how to go on. It is so painfully beautiful and moving.
It exceeded my expectations, as I thought it might be too artsy, or too deep that I wouldn't understand it till weeks of pondering and deep reflection...but it's not like that at all.
If you like a movie that takes you on a slow moving, thoughtful journey of the heart, this is the one.
Sounds that take you home.
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