When one considers that much of the U.S. has snow on the ground for a significant part of the year, it is somewhat surprising that so few movies are placed in that setting. There are the Christmas movies. But where are the movies set in the frigid and dreary months of January and February?
Perhaps because I grew up in the snow and later lived part of my life in areas without snow, I especially enjoy a good snow movie. And there are some excellent movies set in the snow such as the sad The Sweet Hereafter (1997). There’s also Paul Newman’s fine performance in Nobody’s Fool (1994). Murder sagas also seem to work well in the snow, as shown by Fargo (1996) and Insomnia (2002).
Snow Angels
One of my favorite snow movies, though, is Snow Angels
In the opening scene of Snow Angels, a marching band practices as their director tries to inspire them. The students suddenly hear gun shots in the distance. The screen goes dark and we jump to “weeks earlier.” So we know from the start that somehow at least one person is heading toward a tragedy.
There are tragic turns in the movie, but I will not ruin the film. The movie focuses on two families. In one, Annie (Kate Beckinsale) and Glenn (Sam Rockwell) are separated spouses struggling with the failure of their marriage while trying to take care of their young daughter.
Annie works with and used to babysit for teenager Arthur (Michael Angaro). And the other family focus is Arthur’s family. While Arthur is developing a relationship with a new girl at school, his parents are separating.
The acting in Snow Angels is superb and believable. Sam Rockwell may not immediately come to your mind when listing the top actors today, but he continues to make his every movie worth watching. Here, as the troubled Glenn, he is outstanding. He makes viewers sympathize with someone they probably would not want to be around in real life.
I had seen Snow Angels several years ago. So I watched it again before writing this entry. I enjoyed the movie the second time too, although it may not be a movie you will want to watch repeatedly. Although there is a great deal of sadness in the movie, one may also find a little hope toward the end.
The movie is based on the book Snow Angels by Stewart O’Nan. Apparently the book included someone making a literal snow angel, while the movie does not. Still, the title suits the movie in a number of ways. “Snow Angels” may refer to real angels or to the cold emotions and isolation faced by many of the characters.
If you are looking for a light comedy or uplifting story for this weekend, you should look elsewhere. But if you are in the mood for an intense drama that keeps you enthralled, you may like Snow Angels.
The trailer gives away too much of the movie. So, you are better off not seeing the trailer before seeing the movie. But if you want to know more before deciding whether to watch the film, the trailer for Snow Angels is here.
“Snow Angel” the Song
Instead of the trailer I will introduce you to an excellent band from Ohio called Over the Rhine. The band consists of the husband and wife team of Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist.
Below is a fan recording of their live performance of their beautiful song, “Snow Angel.” The song is not related to the movie of the similar name. The singular “Snow Angel” is off their album of the plural Snow Angels (2008).
In the song, the singer tells of saying goodbye to her “one and only love” who goes off to war (“The rumors of a distant war / Called my true love’s name”). But the man is killed during the war, leaving the singer heartbroken (“Snow angel, snow angel / Someday I’m gonna fly / This cold and broken heart of mine / Will one day wave goodbye”).
Like the movie Snow Angels, the song “Snow Angel” captures something about the pain and loneliness of winter. It also reminds us to enjoy our days of warmer weather.
Movies You Might Have Missed is a Chimesfreedom series to inform our readers about good movies that did not receive the attention they deserved.
If you saw Snow Angels, what did you think? Any thoughts on the very last scene? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)
This is such a depressing movie. I saw it a few years ago so don’t really remember the very last scene, but I think the last few scenes probably imply “moving on” or something of the sort.
As the snow turns into rain (even more depressing?) and to change this moody subject, I’ll contribute another good snow movie of a very different genre, “Misery” (1990), and a “missed” Kate Beckinsale movie, “The Last Days of Disco” (1998). I like your bonus band/music spin. Over the Rhine rings a bell but definitely a “missed band” for me so I’ll have to check it out.
“Misery” is a very good snow movie too. I don’t think I’ve seen the whole movie since I watched it in the movie theater (probably because of not wanting to watch one scene again), but I probably should check it out again. I recall seeing that “The Last Days of Disco” got good reviews and always meant to see it, so I’m glad you reminded me of it. And, yes, you should definitely check out Over the Rhine. Thanks for the comment.