White Bird in a Blizzard (2014)

In 1988, a teenage girl's life is thrown into chaos when her mother disappears.

Director:

Gregg Araki

Writers:

Gregg Araki (screenplay by), Laura Kasischke (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Shailene Woodley, Eva Green, Christopher Meloni

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shailene Woodley	...	Kat Connors
Eva Green	...	Eve Connors
Christopher Meloni	...	Brock Connors
Shiloh Fernandez	...	Phil
Angela Bassett	...	Dr. Thaler
Gabourey Sidibe	...	Beth
Ava Acres	...	Kat age 8
Thomas Jane	...	Detective Scieziesciez
Mark Indelicato	...	Mickey
Dale Dickey	...	Mrs. Hillman
Sheryl Lee	...	May
Michael Patrick McGill	...	Aaron
Jill Johnson	...	Secretary
Jacob Artist	...	Oliver
Brenda Koo	...	Cindy

Storyline

Kat Connors is 17 years old when her seemingly perfect homemaker mother, Eve, disappears in 1988. Having lived for so long in an emotionally repressed household, she barely registers her mother's absence and certainly doesn't blame her doormat of a father, Brock, for the loss. But as time passes, Kat begins to come to grips with how deeply Eve's disappearance has affected her. Returning home on a break from college, she finds herself confronted with the truth about her mother's departure, and her own denial about the events surrounding it...

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Plot Keywords:

teenage girl | missing person | mysterious disappearance | mother daughter relationship | female nudity | 

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Taglines:

I was 17 when my mother disappeared...

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content/nudity, language and some drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eva Green, who plays Shailene Woodley's mother in the film is, in reality, only 11 years older than Woodley.

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Goofs

In the club scene Mickey appears to be holding a modern travel coffee mug, the type of which did not exist in 1988.

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Quotes

Detective Scieziesciez: Once there was this... obese man. Some sick fuck had doused him with gasoline and then lit him on fire. And by the time we got to the body, two days later, he was still burning.
Kat Connor: What?
Detective Scieziesciez: Guy had so much body fat he's like a human candle.

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Connections

References Eraserhead (1977)

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Soundtracks

It's a Mug's Game
Written by Marc Almond and Dave Ball (as David Ball)
Performed by Soft Cell

User Reviews

Dreamy Colorful Mess

White Bird in a Blizzard is one of the more interesting films of 2014, but it fails to pull off what it seemed like it promised it would. Shailene Woodley and Eva Green star as a daughter-mother duo in a mysterious crime drama. I really don't know what to make of this film. It's full of terrific performances by the entire cast, but the direction and execution of this story felt a little off.

But I have to commend Shailene Woodley for taking on different roles though. It seems as though she wants to be seen as something other than a teenage heartthrob in teen angst films. She is fabulous as Kat and once again proves that she is one of the best criers in the business. Eva Green, though not given a whole lot to do, makes the most out of her estranged wife character. I didn't know where her character was going and I definitely questioned the character arc, but she was great in the limited role. Christopher Meloni was also really good. I haven't been too familiar with his work besides Man of Steel so to me, he was pretty much a revelation.

There are a few dream sequences in the film, but really the entire movie felt dream like. The choice of colors, or non colors, really made it unique. The music, although good, was out of place and contributed to the strangeness of the film. Finally the entire last act was poorly directed. The way the events unravel, or lack there of, seemed anticlimactic. There was a moment with about 20 minutes ago where I felt really intrigued as to what would happen, but then it all just fell apart for me.

+Performances across the board

+Colorful

-Direction

-Last act

-What is it trying to say?

5.6/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Site

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

White Bird in a Blizzard

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,302, 26 October 2014

Gross USA:

$33,821

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$469,701

Company Credits

Production Co:

Desperate Pictures, Orange Studio, Why Not Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1