Inverno Rigoroso

It started off promising. The lead role is mostly played well and everything seemed set for a good movie. The feel and the production value was good. However, as the film progressed, it began to fall flat. Despite a good effort from the lead character, the character is not well written. I am not complaining about initial ambiguity, but at the overall way the lead character as well as all the other characters are scripted poorly. None of the characters have any depth and the whole story became 2 dimensional and irritating well into the film. But since my wife and I had invested good part of an hour by then, we continued watching anyway. This turned out to be an error on our part.

The problem is two fold. The viewer is not allowed to connect with either children even though there is every reason to. The viewer is also left hanging at the end of the movie with a very unsatisfactory outcome. I would not recommend it for that reason.

The only way this movie could have worked is if the casting was spot on, and the actors rose to the occasion. Never fear, as that's what Edge of Winter delivers. It's the sort of story where you might expect a few plot holes, but again, because the story and its arc are so carefully managed, with a believable script and good editing, such never comes to pass. Careful attention is paid to relationships and natural reactions to circumstance. This is especially so of the two boys, and of course, the father as he loses the plot. Because of this attention to detail the full gravity of the unfolding tragedy really hits you hard. The cameramen also, in the snowy depths of an arctic freeze, know exactly what they are doing. It's not the most fast paced or graphic movie I've ever seen, but the performances and the cinematography make Edge of Winter an easy watch of an uncomfortable topic.

Wow, this movie really caught me by surprise. I remember watching the preview and thinking "whatever". I couldn't really tell what it was about but I saw that Joel Kinnaman was in it so I had to at least see. My first experience with this guy was on "The Killing." Didn't like him or his character at first, but by the end of the series I got it. I remember rooting for him to make it big and then saw him on Robocop and some other big movies. I hope Hollywood doesn't ruin him. I'd like to see more of his "flawed hero" in the future. Could just be me, but I think I could see him doubting himself in certain scenes at the beginning of the movie that wasn't just the character. He needs more roles like these I think to get his chops around. Really, I think he has the potential to turn out some interesting characters given the chance. Now about the movie. Like I said, the beginning of the movie, I thought, came across a bit stiff. Maybe the dialogue, I don't know, people in real life act and say things all the time that I don't really understand why they'd say or do it that way. All the same it was okay. Then about half way through the movie I had to stand up and say, "Holy S--t!" From then on it was a nightmare for everyone involved. This movie took turns I did not see coming and I thought it was pretty realistic. Once it all fell apart I could see the insanity of the situation and it was scary. I've always been interested in how a parent can come to the conclusion to kill their own children. That doesn't happen here but the colors are there. I don't know if this movie is for everyone, probably not. I sure liked it though. I liked it a lot.

4/10. Two brothers are with their unpredictable father for the weekend and find themselves stranded in the snow.

I did find at time that the tension was enough to keep you intrigued, but it kind of never explained itself and what it was trying to accomplish.

It had all the makings of a good film but just wasn't, main actor Joel Kinnaman was fairly convincing in his role and the two boys did s great job. The whole thing just fell flat with very sloppy story telling that was basically non existent.

#edgeofwinter

This edgy thriller feels small in scale but it still packs a punch. Those who have grown up with a parent prone to losing their temper may find it a little triggering. To be a snowy outdoor survival type of movie, there isn't much physical ground covered. It jumps around a bit from one location to the next making the story feel a little choppy. What you can mostly expect to see here is a deadbeat dad at the end of his rope on the way to reaching his breaking point. This movie makes us feel uncomfortable right along with these two kids as they both respect and fear this unstable man they are stranded in the woods with. While the suspense was enough to keep my attention, I can't say the movie captivated me.