User reviews

Here is a film that sets an example in the field of attention to detail. This film has probably had its concept born, its idea written down, the idea then transformed into a screenplay and then that screenplay has been re-written a couple of times to include every single tiny meaning and attention to detail possible; some the audiences will notice and some who will not as they're either too quick or they're just caught up in the brilliance that is the rest of the film.

When I say attention to detail, I mean the in-depth study of characters. I was asking several questions as to why certain characters were acting the way they were towards others and just when I thought "there's something the film has done wrong", it went back and answered my question twenty minutes later. Without giving anything away, I couldn't work out why Alex (Rickman) was so antagonistic towards the truck driver but the film answers the question near the end when Alex's past tragedy becomes clear; also, the attention to the characters in particular was outstanding. Vivienne (Hampshire) has the interesting quirk of putting her McDonalds fries in her burger and then eating it, Linda (Weaver) is able to identify that Alex is wearing her 'third favourite sweater' and all throughout the film, sounds and noises in the background of dogs barking, birds chirping and distant traffic puts us there.

I got the feeling that before every take whilst shooting; the filmmakers thought of everything they possibly could to either hint at past and unseen events or just ask themselves 'this situation has arisen – what would happen' and this is where the script being re-written and thought through on such an impressive level comes in that it's hard to think of another recent film that is as impressive as this. I loved the way the film actually re-starts after about fifteen minutes following an action that even I was surprised by; I loved the way that during Alex and Vivienne's journey, we are given time out to see side shots of massive trucks suddenly blur by, emphasising the seemingly random and unnecessary. It seems ironic that the film has that certain 'snowy' look to it and the exterior shots that feel like absolute white allows you to actually 'see' the cold rather than feel it since if we're watching a film in a warm room, we can't feel what the characters are feeling.

Another strong point is the cast. Having Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver and Carrie-Ann Moss away from trying to either blow up John McLane, fight off Aliens or box a bunch of Agent Smiths is a real treat and you quickly forget who's who – these are really recognisable faces in a film you don't expect them to be in and for me to forget who they are and just accept them as characters is really impressive. The film uses an impressive array of techniques to get across its effectiveness – the first proper interaction between Alex and Maggie (Moss) is in a room full of red, signalling danger – there are red curtains, red candles, they're even drinking red wine and what with Linda already labelling her a prostitute, we are suddenly weary. I especially liked the way that Alex and Maggie's lakeside conversation was intercut with shots of melting ice coming apart as Alex himself describes how his life melted away and came apart when he suffered his past tragedy – again, attention to detail is the key here as a seemingly straight forward conversation has been thought through with shots of melting ice.

Snow Cake is the sort of film you watch and allow yourself to get wrapped up in. It is an emotional journey with powerful acting and many, many effective scenes – effective because they're well shot and thought through but effective because they make you feel during the film. Really well written, really well directed and really well acted by Weaver and Rickman as the two leads – memorable film.

Snow Flake is a tale of insulated lives thrown into contact, of insights that that are almost (but not quite) incommunicable, of the power of unusual friendships, of people defying what is expected of them and sometimes of what they would expect of themselves, and of finding a strength in themselves and others as a result. And if that sounds clichéd, you have to go and see it to believe it.

Sigourney Weaver is from a different world, one not unlike our own. She's not battling Aliens or living in a sectarian time-shift Village, but the world into which she brings us is as weird, and dazzling enough for my jaw to drop after watching her for just a few minutes. Her presence jumps off the screen with such vividness that, even though I had read the storyline, I knew it was going to surpass my expectations. Her character is fascinated by things that sparkle, can juggle numbers with unnerving rapidity, inhabits a universe of extreme precision that brooks no infraction, and no uncleanliness: and she's only barely tolerant of your world. This is the world of Linda Freeman, high-functioning autistic.

There are two sides to Linda: the world she lives in is undoubtedly extraordinary - her version of Scrabble leaves Alan Rickman's character (Alex Hughes) looking severely unevolved - but it is balanced by her lack of empathy for 'normal' people. What makes Weaver's performance so remarkable is that she conveys the logical certitude of Linda's position with such force that we, like Alex, start feeling a bit dumb. Why do we go through such irrelevant tea-and-ham-sandwiches rituals after a death? Why can't we feel the joy we felt as children when we discovered snow in our hands, or the thrill of a trampoline as our body is launched into space? Why do we struggle to remember simple facts? The drawbacks of Linda's world (apart from most people not being able to reach it) is that she cannot cope with the imperfections that the rest of us would shrug off. If the dog leaves a stain on her carpet she will have simply have to 'move house', and the only kind of job she can get is one where her obsessive need for order can find a simplistic outlet (she stacks shelves in a supermarket, with mathematical precision and attention). If Rain Man was the gold-medallist of autism, Linda Freeman is simply a non-glamorised regular sportswoman, and in that she conveys a more real person than any Hollywood-ised super-character.

Alex (Alan Rickman) opens the film, flicking poignantly at a small photo as he sits out a long flight. We have no clue as to who the person in the picture is, or why he seems to be encased in his own intense thoughts. Later, we see him in a transport café, approached by a bubbly young girl who is determined to break down his wall of silence. She wants to write a book and make loads of money - by finding the right areas of pain and suffering to focus on. Her apparent insensitivity is quickly tempered when she admits she admits she needs a lift but has picked the loneliest looking person because she really thinks he "needs to talk". Alex reluctantly gives her a lift. She is soon singing the 70's rock song All Right Now at the top of her voice, but things are far from all right. One car crash and an added truckload of emotional baggage later, Alex is arriving on Linda's doorstep and destined to be her guest for more than a few hours. Our storyline is further complicated by the seductively attractive Maggie (Carrie-Ann Moss) who has her eye on Alex. He first assumes she is a prostitute (she reminded me of the classy call-girl Inara, from Serenity) but accepts a 'neighbourly' invitation for dinner.

Rickman is at his best. The wry tongue-in-cheek humour seen in many of his films gives way to a sardonic realism that is even funnier because it is more true to real life. A very down to earth script ensures the laughs are grounded (Love Actually but without the unbelievability), even if in most cases Rickman is principally a foil for other characters: such as when Linda likens eating snow to an orgasm or Maggie breaks off dinner because she hates having sex on a full stomach.

We soon realise that Linda's childlike behaviour thinly disguises a penetrating intelligence, but her intelligence doesn't enable her to solve everyday problems such as putting the rubbish out. She has emotional insight, even consideration, but her world is as isolated from ours as ours is from hers, even with her ability to reel off facts and figures. One is reminded of a recent study that suggested that emotional intelligence may serve people better in the workplace than a Mensa certificate.

Rickman's character struggles with Canadian distances in a typically British manner. "It didn't look far on the map," he exclaims hopelessly. He is out of his depth geographically and emotionally but, obsessed with his own inadequacies, is open to seeing things differently. The landscape whiteness, at first cold and unwelcoming, starts to seem beautiful. Maggie allows Alex to open emotionally whereas Linda, through the intellectual effort he makes to reach her, enables him to rationalise the process and come to terms with his feelings. Linda is a doorway to seeing things differently - "I'm half outside, half inside," she says as she hovers on the porch and we puzzle whether she is being dippy or intentionally defusing a difficult situation. The mathematical way she describes needing a hug reassures us that she is human, but by then we have learnt a whole new attitude of respect. Snow Cake is a very personal film, not a blockbuster, but a few more films like this could enrich the way we see ourselves.

I was able to see this as part of the recent Autism Cymru conference, and can honestly say that this is one of the best films I have seen for years. It somehow maintains a balance between the drama, the need to establish Weaver's character without mawkishness or making her a complete freak, and a rite of passage for Rickman's character. There was no point at which I doubted the authenticity of the character's experiences. It does help to know something about autism (I am a parent of someone with ASD and parts of this were so true it hurt) but not compulsory, and I would heartily recommend it to dispel some myths! I can't really tell you more without giving it all away - go and see it! Snow Cake is both poignant and rib-achingly funny in parts.

We were also fortunate to meet the writer, the director and the autistic woman who "coached" Sigourney Weaver. Absolutely fascinating. I can't wait for this to be released and will be buying the DVD for friends and family.

I just got back from the premiere of this movie at the Berlinale. It's a little story about the friendship of man, Alex, who still can't forget a mysterious, traumatizing past, and an autistic woman, Linda (S. Weaver). The humanness of Alex, and the deep sadness of being aware of what happened, contrasts with the fairy-tale-like world of Linda, who seems to live with no consciousness for the past or the future, avoiding suffering and flying light in the world just like a snow flake. The performances of the actors, of Rickman in particular, are outstanding, and the characters are showed with intimacy and delicate attention to details. The close ups face Carrie- Anne Moss, a kind of (unrealistic) femme fatale in the middle of nowhere, gently whispering in dim light, are worth the ticket. But i didn't completely buy the script. Shouldn't it be more difficult for Alex to get into Linda's house? Shouldn't a man which such a traumatic past behave like an eighteenth century English gentleman? Morever, as far as I know about psychiatry, Linda is a mixture of mental disease stereotypes, more than an actual autistic. I gave 7, because I liked the effort of making of a tragic story a kind of hymn to life, sometimes even funny.

I have just come back from the screening of Snow Cake at the Hong Kong Film Festival, it is one of the two closing films. I have to say, I didn't expect much from this film at first, or perhaps it is because I do not know what to expect from it. The reason I went to see this mainly because of Alan Rickman (yes I am a Alan fan, so even the movie turns out to be disappointing I can enjoy Alan Rickman's acting ;]), but my friend whom I forced to accompany me is not. I was worried that she won't like it.

But my worries were gone as the film flows, I smiled, I laugh, and even got tears in my eyes. I left the screening with a smile on my face and a warm and cosy feeling at heart. Even me friend loved it. This movie has depth yet makes you laugh and smile. And Now I am dying to watch it again.

Alan Rickman is wonderful as usual, his talent deserves an Oscar nod someday. Signourey Weaver is pretty good, though some of you said that her portrayal of autistic people is inaccurate, I am not sure. Carrie Anne Moss is cool but, well I guess it is hard for her to outshine Alan and Signourey . I love the script, the lines are funny and thought provoking at the same time. It makes you think AND laugh.

All in all impressive and beautiful.

I just saw the movie for the second time after 3 years. I can't believe Sigourney Weaver didn't win any award for this amazing performance. She deserved an Oscar nomination for it. Alan Rickman is fantastic as well. Excellent low-key score, direction and writing.

One of the things I like the most about this movie is that it's so low-key. It doesn't put the sad stuff "in your face" in a cliché sort of way, but instead the sadness is usually underneath. Sigourney's character is happy in the most unlikely circumstances - which is the exact opposite of what you would except from a movie like this - yet it doesn't affect the sadness itself. Excellent work.

Don't forget to check out the deleted scenes - most of them are excellent and it's a shame they had to delete them from the final cut.

i just went to see this film in the Belfast film festival. it was possibly one of the most beautiful films i have ever seen. as a self confessed Rickman obsessive i was always going to see the film but i was not a fan of ms weaver therefore was not expecting an amazing experience. i was so wrong. ms weaver has produced one of the most amazing performances i have ever seen in a film. i place it in line with Liam Neeson in Schindler's list, Russel crow in a beautiful mind and of course in rain man the amazing Dustin Hoffman. she is just amazing. i cried and laughed comfortably in her situations and i did not feel at any stage that this was a cheap imitation and mockery of a person suffering form autism. i just couldn't believe it. Alan Rickman was of course his amazing self. his presence on the screen always pleases me no matter what he is in. this film however was again different from any other. unlike the usual Rickman character of which you can expect sarcasm such as in love actually or close my eyes and a deviousness such as harry potter or robin hood , or even a warm loving character such as colonel Brandon.this time we are presented with an all round character in which Mr Rickman's talents shine unbelievably and i believe that you can see a contentedness in his acting. the character is lovable, curious, devious, hilarious, sentimental and of course understandable. his actions are understood by all. the scenery in the film was amazing and the music sublime. the atmosphere was just perfect for a film with such hard hitting lessons. the meaningful statements from the deceased Vivianne and the innocent and wise statements from Linda are truly memorable and made me think. instead of leaving the cinema with an over powering sense of wow and over the top excitement usually collected from a Hollywood motion picture such as in a false star wars or lord of the rings, i left with a sense of questioning and self analysis. i felt comfortable to stay silent in thought and express little of my emotions. i did not feel the need to over emphasise its greatness until i had thought about it thorough;y.

anyone who reads this. please please please please go see snow cake if it is on near you as this amazing movie needs and deserves complete recognition form all of us fellow film viewers.

totally amazing!!

There are very few really good films about mentally challenged people, and less so about outist patients. Snow Cake does this tough job admirably well. And here we see a Prize-deserving play of Sigourney Weaver as an outist woman who can understand some things and then completely blow away some others. She is marvelously convincing as a disturbed Lady, eating snow, playing with illuminated balls, being mad with a speck of dust or a misplaced pair of boots. Then there is Alan Rickman, the man who was in part responsible for the perish of her daughter, and his part is deeply tragic and and at the same time a bit humorous, especially when he learns to deal with her outist pranks. Then there is Carrie Ann Moss as a lustful but sweet neighbor who also takes part in all this life's trapping situation... Watch thus, this is not a bloody thriller or a car chase movie, this is a way too serious and deep work.

This film is just a beautiful story that made me laugh and cry. Sigourney was just fantastic, have never seen her better. I was so lucky to meet her in Edinburgh where she did a 'reel life' interview about her career. Sigourney described how in depth she studied the role and was nervous about not being able to do it, which took her out of her comfort zone. All I would like to say is all the hard work was worth it. The scene where Linda dances at the wake just got my heart, I felt I was transported into Linda's world and you cannot ask more from a film.

It was so good to see a film without ego, cgi or violence, just a gentle take on extreme circumstances. Please please please go see this film and even if it is just to find out what 'DAZLIOUS' means!

I saw Snow Cake last night at the Toronto Film Festival.

The Film is excellent - I wouldn't change a frame. It is beautifully directed and full of refined touches - great script - great score- and the acting by Rickman and Weaver is nuanced and outstanding.

The film conveys a very real portrait of small town (Wawa) Ontario - and nails the feeling of small town social politics, with its outward conformity vs begrudged acceptance of "strange behaviour". It also captures the stillness - the slowing of time - that one feels in a small town up north.

See this Film. You'll really love it

Sigourney Weaver stars as Linda, an autistic mother, in this British/Canadian co-production. Early in the film, her daughter Vivienne (Emily Hampshire) is killed in a car accident enroute to her hometown of Wawa, Ontario. Ex-con Alex (Alan Rickman) survives the crash and reluctantly visits Wawa only to find himself become an intimate part of this quirky community. The film takes its name from the crystals of snow which dazzle and amuse Linda in her imaginative world. Not since Rain Man has autism been so lovingly portrayed in a feature film! The music is an original score by Broken Social Scene! Snow Cake was selected to open the Berlin Film Festival! Why this film ended up as a British co-production is a mystery, and this may say a lot about the (lack of) funding for Canadian feature films!

The Academy loves the mentally 'different'. Dustin Hoffman bagged gold for Rain Man, as did Geoffrey Rush in Shine, and it almost worked for Jodie Foster's wild woodswoman turn in Nell. This is Sigourney Weaver's bid.

Functioning at the less severe end of the autistic spectrum, Weaver's Linda is capable of living alone but generally avoids human contact. She prefers to keep her home in meticulous order, munch snow and bounce on her trampoline. (Note to Academy voters: trampolining was a prominent motif in Shine.) Feeling responsible for the death of Linda's daughter, British gloombucket Alex (Rickman) comes to apologise. Linda allows him in simply so he can take out the trash. Alex sticks around and mystifyingly, he also grabs the amorous attentions of Linda's knockout neighbour Carrie-Anne Moss. The community doesn't approve of Maggie but she stays in town anyway. Strange.

Lightly dusted with wit and charm, this is a decent drama which is sympathetic to Linda's condition without being patronising (though her abruptness sometimes appears overly kooky). But while Weaver is consistently convincing, the script is not. Anyone familiar with autism will know that abstraction and fiction do not register in that world, which makes Linda's post-Scrabble flight of fancy highly unlikely.

The smalltown clichés are also disappointing (busybody neighbour, jealous cop who doesn't trust the outsider) as is the rather convenient explanation of how Linda got pregnant in the first place. That dramatic avenue is never explored. Ultimately, the film wants to have its snow cake and eat it.

Many people have very warped ideas of Autism and the way it changes peoples lives. This film really shows how wrongly people can judge someone just on the fact the have a label of 'autistic'. The writer has definitely showed the funny side and made the film such a joy to watch. It is not only heart-warming and moving but a great insight to the lives of not only people suffering from autism but the people around them too.

Snowcake is a must see for anyone who enjoys to watch a well written all-round good film! You will have a tear in your eye one moment and laughing the next! FANTASTIC!

I saw this as the "Opening Night Gala" at Windsor, Ontario's 2nd Annual Film Festival, and it's exactly the kind of film tailor made to open up a Canadian film festival. It has the virtue of being at least partially homegrown product, but it also has big stars Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver and Carrie-Anne Moss in it and is far more Hollywood/Awards-season ready than particularly weird or homespun. The people who only go to see this film and then call it a day, essentially, get to have their cake and eat it too, by supporting a small and locally made film that nevertheless hits many of the same feel-good buttons that they'd get from the multiplex. Rickman plays a depressed traveler en route to Winnipeg for reasons only eventually revealed who stops to pick up a cheerful young female hitchhiker. They bond, briefly, before the two are in a car accident that kills the girl. Rickman goes to her hometown to pay his respects to the girl's mother (Weaver), a "high functioning" autistic emotionally apathetic towards the loss. Rickman, feeling both guilty and compelled to grieve in the mother's place, ends up sticking around for the funeral and strikes up a relationship with a local woman (Moss).

Weaver is the big problem with the film, of course, not least of all because it is simply hard to accept one of our smartest actresses in the role. Mostly, though, she's cursed with having to play this character in a film that is not at all above using her to provide both cheap laughs and wisdom-of-the-innocent truisms. Needless to say, a far cry from Rain Man (or Mark Haddon's excellent novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, for that matter) on this topic, too often threatening to veer off into The Other Sister/I Am Sam/Radio territory.

Still, I have to admit that the film grew on me as it went on. The resolution of Rickman's issues are a little too neat, but he's excellent in the film, and I liked the early scenes between he and the hitchhiker enough that the appearance of Weaver's character wasn't quite enough to immediately kill all of the good will I had developed toward the film at that point. And while I remain suspicious of the film's motives in including the Weaver character, the film never manages to forget that it is really about Rickman and this young girl's death. I confess to being moved by the last third of the movie, particularly the funeral scenes, and the notion of mourning a random stranger in the place of someone who cannot properly do so is rather startlingly poignant. Quite uneven, but if this ever ends up getting wide release, you could do far, far worse for a night out at the movies.

... that this movie has not been as well received and viewed as it should have been. Even most of the awards shows, didn't give any kudos! And after you'll watch the movie, you will be wondering why. I saw it at the International Film Fest (in Berlin), where it was also nominated for best Director.

The movie starts with the introduction of Alan Rickmans character, who is obviously a man who isn't open to the world. We will find out why, but before that, we are introduced to a girl who is bugging him. At first she annoys him, but not for long ...

This all plays in the first few minutes of the film, so it's not a spoiler. If you want to know more, you can read the plot outline, found somewhere on this site. If I were you, I wouldn't do that. Just rent the movie and watch ... if you like a drama that is also funny in quirky kind of way, but still feels real, than you are going to enjoy this, as I did!

I wasn't looking forward to seeing this film and got dragged along at the last minute - I knew it was going to be emotionally heavy and it was. I must say though that I think it's brilliant; at one point I had to hold back the tears - and nothing normally ever makes me cry. I also laughed. Apart from that, the story is amazing, the acting is top notch and the 'scenery' and mood is evocative. Whilst I didn't think Weaver or Rickman were the best choices or the most convincing people for the roles they were certainly excellent - but what do I know eh? it worked, and that's good enough for me. Watch it.

NB: I hadn't eaten and had been drinking the night before and my woman was giving me static - so I was in a pretty low mood, so maybe that's the way to go when you watch this film, be at a low ebb yourself and it will sink in a little bit more and maybe tug the heart strings a little bit more.

Oh great, here's another "Autism" Cliché flick, hurray! And again it turns out to warm up just about every stereotype repeated ad nauseam since 'Rain Man'. Sigourney Weaver is annoying in Alex' words, I must rather agree- she was certainly unconvincing at best. Rickman however gives a great performance as sad ageing Middle Class, a role that we have seen him in before and that he masters bravely. The script is full of bizarre squeaks, when Alex stands up in the funeral to shake the truck drivers hand I very nearly gave up. Even for an American production that is simply too rich!! I think this 'drama' only survived the first screening because of it's astonishing casting: clearly Alan Rickman and Carrie-Ann Moss carry the whole thing. The fact that they accepted the script must mean that this ambitious project was crippled in the editing room. What a flop.