Winter Solstice (2004/I)

Director:

Josh Sternfeld

Writer:

Josh Sternfeld (written by)

Release Date:

24 November 2005 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In this suburban drama, a widower (played by Anthony LaPaglia) confronts his older son's (played by Aaron Stanford) decision to leave home and his younger son's self-destructive behavior.

Plot Keywords:

Brother Brother Relationship | Teacher | Algebra | Argument | Family Relationships

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Anthony LaPaglia	...	Jim Winters
Aaron Stanford	...	Gabe Winters
Mark Webber	...	Pete Winters
Allison Janney	...	Molly Ripkin
Michelle Monaghan	...	Stacey
Brendan Sexton III	...	Robbie (as Brendan Sexton)
Ron Livingston	...	Mr. Bricker
Ebon Moss-Bachrach	...	Steve
Frank Wood	...	Bill Brennan
Kel O'Neill	...	Tim
Thomas Sadoski	...	Chris Bender
Kathleen Bridget Kelly	...	Mrs. Burton (as Kathleen Kelly)
Welker White	...	History Teacher
Jason Fuchs	...	Bob
Dana Segal	...	Math Teacher

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:10 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | USA:R | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Glen Ridge, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Sound Pictures

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jim puts a box in the truck, we see him sit it on top of other items and it sticks up too high to be able to shut the hatch but immediately we switch camera angle, and she slams the hatch shut.

Soundtrack:

The Rookie Year

As the seasons change, you try to come to terms...

Quick physics analogy here. (although I hate the discipline!) Imagine a family consisting of three forces pulling in opposite directions. What's gonna happen? Whatever exists between them is gonna start to show cracks, right? Well, even if this little scientific postulation of mine turns out to be incorrect, it still handily applies to the meditation on grief that "Winter Solstice" offers. If they were united as a group, they would be much stronger, but with the huge space vacated by a missing figure, they become a ship without a rudder.

Fans, like me, of Lapaglia, Stanford or David Gordon Green's "All the Real Girls" should definitely come away from this with some food for thought. There are echoes of "In the Bedroom", too. Admirers of any mentioned will be pleasantly acquainted with the pace this film moves at as this is not a work for those who like their cinema to run loud, obvious and at a mile a minute. If low-key indie musing is your thing though, then I would suggest you check it out. It's content not to milk its material for moments of angst, so there are few showy moments for the actors. Suppressed anger is the main vent for hidden depths, so it could have been more 'raw', but taken together it nevertheless builds to something that is genuinely affecting.