Rating: Not Rated
Starring:
Alan Rickman as Alex Hughes
Sigourney Weaver as Linda Freeman
Carrie-Anne Moss as Maggie
David Fox as Dirk Freeman
Jayne Eastwood as Ellen Freeman
Emily Hampshire as Vivienne Freeman
James Allodi as Clyde
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes
Trailer
Other Info:
Widescreen
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman and Carrie-Ann Moss give three of the year’s most acclaimed performances in this deeply moving, life-affirming tale of three lives altered by an unexpected tragedy. When Alex (Rickman) picks up a young female hitchhiker, he triggers a series of events that forever change the course of his life and that of the girl’s mother (Weaver).”
Mini-Review:
This film is interesting mainly due to the strong performances by Weaver and Rickman. It’s certainly one of Sigourney Weaver’s most unique roles. She plays Linda Freeman, a woman with autism. She has the mentality of a 5 year old, but she functions as an adult. Weaver completely transforms her speech, mannerisms, and body language. Linda couldn’t be more different than Ellen Ripley or any of Weaver’s other famous roles. She is perfectly paired with Alan Rickman who plays Alex Hughes. While Weaver has a childlike free spirit, Rickman is a reserved, tortured soul. Despite his character’s dark side, Rickman is still the hero of the story. You’re pulled in as a little more of his back story is revealed along the way. His scenes with Weaver are great and they play off of each other beautifully. (As a comic geek, I loved a scene where they played Comic Book Scrabble together. I’ve never heard more beautiful dialogue devoted to Mr. Fantastic.) Carrie-Anne Moss also has a strong performance as Maggie, but she’s a fairly minor player compared to Weaver. (I also never expected to see a love scene between Trinity and Snape.) And though Emily Hampshire has a small part as Vivienne Freeman, she makes the most of her limited screen time. Hampshire is a talent to watch in the future.
I also have to add word about the soundtrack. It was a nice mix of original music and some classic rock tunes. The result is a soundtrack that perfectly fits the lighthearted, and sometimes dark, spirit of the film.
If you are a fan of Sigourney Weaver or Alan Rickman, I highly recommend checking out this film. Any fans of character dramas or indie films will also enjoy “Snow Cake.”
The bonus features on this DVD are quite minimal. You’ll only find a few deleted scenes. It’s a shame there weren’t any commentaries, making of featurettes, or other basic extras.
