Snow Cake (2006)

A drama focused on the friendship between a high-functioning autistic woman and a man who is traumatized after a fatal car accident.

Director:

Marc Evans

Writer:

Angela Pell

Stars:

Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss

3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan Rickman	...	Alex
Emily Hampshire	...	Vivienne Freeman
Jackie Brown	...	Waitress
Callum Keith Rennie	...	John Neil
Scott Wickware	...	Senior Cop
Johnny Goltz	...	Rookie Cop
James Allodi	...	Clyde
Janet van de Graaf	...	Meryl (as Janet van de Graaff)
Carrie-Anne Moss	...	Maggie
Julie Stewart	...	Florence
Sigourney Weaver	...	Linda
Charlie	...	Marilyn the Dog
Selina Cadell	...	Diane Wooton
Nia Roberts	...	Janet the Vet
Dov Tiefenbach	...	Jack the Optician

Storyline

Alex Hughes, an ex-convict, is on a road trip to Winnipeg to see an old friend. Along the way, he meets the annoying, but vivacious, Vivienne Freeman who manages to bum a ride with him. Just as he begins to warm to this eccentric girl, Alex's vehicle is in a serious automobile accident that kills Vivienne. After his meeting with the police, Alex decides to speak with Vivienne's mother. Upon arrival at her home, Alex discovers that the mother, Linda, is a highly functional autistic woman who convinces him to stay long to take out the garbage the day after the funeral he agrees to arrange. In those few days, Alex discovers new friends and learns more about the uniqueness of Linda even as he struggles to come to terms with his own grief.

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Plot Keywords:

garbage | funeral | sex | autistic savant | dead girl | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes stopping is the most important part of the journey...

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Canada UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 November 2006 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Der Geschmack von Schnee

Filming Locations:

Grosso Jackson, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

€3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$5,030 (USA) (27 April 2007)

Gross:

$26,014 (USA) (8 June 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revolution Films, Rhombus Media, 2 Entertain Video

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Broken Social Scene was approached to score this film, and flew out to London to do so. Actress Emily Hampshire (Vivienne) introduced director Marc Evans to that group during production.

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Goofs

In the beginning of the movie Alex exits the restaurant. In the window it says White River. He is driving to Winnipeg which is west of White River. Yet Vivienne has a sign that says Wawa. That means he would be heading east back to Wawa instead of west to Winnipeg.

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Quotes

Maggie: [to Alex] I really like you, and I hate having sex on a full stomach, so can we just skip the main course and move next door?

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Connections

References North by Northwest (1959)

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Soundtracks

Alright Now
Performed by Free
Courtesy of Universal-Island Records Ltd
under licence from Universal Music Enterprises
Written by Paul Rodgers & Andy Fraser
Published by Blue Mountain Music Ltd
Administered by Fairwood Music Ltd

User Reviews

sentimental

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.