Smilla's Sense of Snow
When I went to the theaters to see Smilla's Sense of Snow, hardly anyone was there. I knew there wouldn't be too many people there because no one I know has ever heard of it. However, I have, and I really wanted to see it. So when it came out today, I went and saw it. Everyone in the theater was spellbound. We all were. All four of us (there were more than that, but I knew three others). I asked a couple of strangers on the way out what they thought of it. They said they loved it. And I couldn't agree more.
Now, it sounds like I loved the movie and should have given it four stars. Well, when trying to figure out how many stars to give this movie, I had to average two parts of it to get the overall score. On one side, plot. On the other side, film making and quality. For plot, I gave it two stars. The entire first hour and a half were completely riveting. However, the final thirty minutes were so unbelieveable that it made me wonder why the filmmakers chose that ending. For film making, I gave it four stars. Smilla's Sense of Snow is one of the most gorgeous pieces of visually stunning film making I have seen in a long time. In fact, the movie was so powerful, that the power of the first three-fourths overran the power of the last third.
Smilla's Sense of Snow is based on a novel by Peter Hoeg, who I blame for the plot. I think the writer should have created her own ending to the movie to make it a perfect piece of film. The movie starts out in the 19th Century. We see a man standing in the middle of a huge glacier, waiting to spear a seal through the ice. His sled dogs start to whine and bark. We see what they are barking at. I'm not going to tell you what it is because it is crucial to the ending. Ah, what the hell, it was a meteor, falling towards the earth. It slams into the glacier and creates a huge wave of snow and ice, killing the man and dogs. I told you this because the ending is so ridiculous, that you may want to know it before going.
Actually, it isn't that ridiculous if you suspend your belief for a couple hours after the film is over as well as during the film. I did this, but it didn't last. Once my belief came back, so did the stupidity of the plot. But I advise you to go see this movie anyway, but do not go expecting a good plot. Go expecting a terrific, visceral movie. As is, the movie jumps into the present day in Copenhagen. Smilla (Julia Ormond) is a snow specialist. One day, she comes home to find a boy, whom she knew well, dead in the snow outside her apartment. Apparently, he was playing on the roof and fell off. She decides to go look at the roof, and finds that there are a set of footprints running towards the edge. What made him run off the edge of the roof? That's what the rest of the movie is about.
The movie plays out like a Hitchcock-type thriller. Smilla is the only one who can see that he didn't just accidentally fall off, and no one will believe her. So she decides to find out who did this to him. The movie is a mystery movie, and a pretty suspenseful one at that. Smilla finds herself in many precarious situations, some we aren't sure how she got into in the first place. However, somehow, this movie works. We are tricked into believing everything that is going on, even the finale, mainly because of the powerful performance by Ormond, and the superb direction by Bille August. August keeps the style and tone throughout the movie, and by doing so, we believe everything. The style and tone of the film is so powerful and suspenseful, that it overpowers the holes in the plot.
Well, now it sounds like I'm repeating myself. I guess I am. I can't explain why the movie is so good and powerful, but it is. And Ormond is terrific as Smilla. Normally, she plays senuous women who fall in love and cry over everything. In this movie, she is stone cold. She doesn't love anyone, except the young boy, and she won't take crap from anyone. Smilla is a very dark and complex character, and Ormond plays her so well. Even when she isn't doing anything, we can see she is really doing something. Again, I can't explain this, but trust me, she does it.
Smilla's Sense of Snow is rated R. There isn't much language, but it does show up here and there. There is also violence and a sex scene which lasts about 5 seconds anyway. However, I don't think it's the language, violence, or the sex that got it the R rating. I believe that the tone is what got it that. No young kid would want to see this movie because it's very dark and gray. Almost everything is covered with snow. The subject matter is also very dark. So while you're kids are off watching Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, instead of torturing yourself with that one, take a look at Smilla.