STUDIO: Warner Independent Pictures
RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2008
STARRING: Michael Angarano, Kate Beckinsale, Griffin Dunne, Nicky Katt, Tom Noonan, Sam Rockwell, Amy Sedaris, and Olivia Thirlby
WRITTEN BY: David Gordon Green
DIRECTED BY: David Gordon Green
GENRE: Drama
RATING: R

"Folk" and "Americana" are genre descriptions most commonly associated with music and art. Yet I can’t think of any words that better describe the films of writer/director David Gordon Green (All the Real Girls, George Washington). Snow Angels is the filmmaker’s fourth full-length feature and although he continues to work with larger budgets and more notable faces, Green’s eye and ear for the details of ordinary people living through their defining moments only seem to grow with each film.

Snow Angels begins innocently enough - we come across a high school marching band in the midst of a drowsy, early morning rehearsal. But the scene is interrupted suddenly by an unidentified gunshot in the distance. We then jump back and spend the remainder of the reel working to that moment of violence. The resulting story encompasses four couples, each in varying stages of their relationships - one just beginning to bloom, one on the verge of separation, one after parting ways and the last long past the point of no return. Filmed in Halifax, Nova Scotia (yet set in Butler, Pennsylvania), Green never makes an effort to pinpoint a specific location, choosing rather to suggest any small town in the dead of winter. And it's due to the isolation and the insularity of that small town life that these eight characters - including a weary, single mother, Annie (Kate Beckinsale), and her self-destructive ex, Glenn (Sam Rockwell) - find themselves entangled in each other's hardships.<./p>

The movie’s bleak landscapes and vernacular dialogue (adapted for the screen by Green himself) have both been expertly crafted. But it’s the characters that will hold a truly lasting impact. Rockwell is perhaps best known for his offbeat character acting, stealing scenes in films like The Green Mile and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. In Snow Angels, he unleashes his full talent and creates an incredibly sympathetic character that brings to mind such legendary sad sacks as Fargo’s Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) or Secrets & Lies’ Maurice Purley (Timothy Spall). Glenn’s fruitless attempts to remain an integral part of his daughter’s life and convince Annie he’s a changed man are heartbreaking. His work here is magnificent and surely would’ve stirred up talk of an Oscar nomination had the film been released at just about any other time of year.

Beckinsale is excellent too, easily overcoming the baggage a viewer might bring to this film when recalling her turns in action movies like Underworld and Van Helsing. From time to time, I’ll admit that her striking, good looks do seem a bit out of place in this dreary setting. But that’s a small complaint. Green deserves credit for taking a chance on an actress in danger of eternal typecasting, and she, as well, for rising to the occasion. The supporting cast is terrific as well; Juno's Olivia Thirlby is pitch-perfect as Lila, a girl just discovering her sexuality, and Nicky Katt shines as Nate, the adulterous sleazeball, who somehow manages to convey humanity, despite his tired pick-up lines and groan-inducing pillow talk. Most notable though is Amy Sedaris, who surprises as Barb, best friend to Annie, wife to Nate, and the resilient victim of infidelity.

Despite the strength of the ensemble, viewers should be warned that much of Snow Angels is not what most would call a "pleasant viewing experience." Coming to care about these characters, while simultaneously watching their lives spiral deeper into despair, can be a harrowing process. But as anyone who has struggled with life inside a splintered family or broken home knows, that sort of confrontation is absolutely essential in order to emerge stronger on the other side.