Snow Angels

Snow Angels is a naturalistic Canadian film that explores several different relationships that all interconnect in one way or another. Arthur is a trombonist for the high school, who is exploring his first real relationship with a new girl to the school, a photographer named Lila, while his parents are battling their way through a patchy separation. Meanwhile, Arthur’s co-worker and childhood baby sitter Annie is fighting off her alcoholic and potentially suicidal ex-husband who persists in re-entering her life, and that of their daughter. To add to the complications, Annie is sleeping with her best friend’s husband – her best friend also working with her and Arthur. This is an ultimately sad and depressing film about human suffering, personal connections, and the complexities of love and relationships. The film has an almost “Garden State” feel too it, without the comedy. Although there are some funny moments – most of which come from Arthur – this is essentially a sad story with a large amount of death involved. You become instantly attached to all of the characters, despite their obvious flaws. The acting is fantastic – you almost feel as if you’re watching real events, rather than a fictional story. This is a film about people, so you don’t really pay that much attention to the visuals, although everything is very beautiful – set in lush snowy locations. I really liked this film – although it’s hard to say that I enjoyed it. It was tremendously sad and gloomy, although there were signs of life and happiness. The music was very appropriate and added to the beauty of the film, but the characters are what made this film so special for me.