Director: Gregg Araki
Writer: Gregg Araki (Screenplay) Laura Kasischke (Novel)
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Eva Green, Christopher Meloni, Shiloh Fernandez, Angela Bassett, Gabourey Sidibe, Ava Acres, Thomas Jane
Plot: In 1988, a teenage girl’s life is thrown into chaos when her mother disappears.
Tagline – I was 17 when my mother disappeared…
Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Uninspiring Teenage Mystery
Story: White Bird in a Blizzard starts when 17-year-old Kat (Woodley) comes home from school to find her father Brock (Meloni) worried about where he mother Eve (Green) has gone, just vanished, taking nothing with her. Following the normal missing person reports through Detective Scieziesciez (Jane) trying to help the best he can.
As Kat examines her life, she starts to think that her mother might have run off with someone else, but the uncertainty around the truth is driving her crazy as she continues to push on her new sexual desires.
Thoughts on White Bird in a Blizzard
Characters – Kat is the 17-year-old girl that is nearing the end of school, has a boyfriend that isn’t given her enough attention for her own desires and then her mother vanishes, she is left wondering why she would just leave right when she was become a woman and needed her help. Eve is the mother of Kat, she has changed over the recent years and now has vanished, we learn about her character through Kat’s memories of her. Brock is the father that Kat thinks is a loser, he is worried about his wife and does the best to stay strong for Kat. Phil is the boyfriend of Kate, he lives across the street and is the opposite to who she was looking for in a man.
Performances – Shailene Woodley does everything fine through this film, she is the strongest of the performers, though that isn’t saying much. Eva Green, Christopher Meloni and Shiloh Fernandez all have one strong scene, while largely being forgettable in this film.
Story – The story here follows a teenage girl that must deal with the sudden disappearance of her mother, not knowing the truth or who could offer the truth about what has happened. This isn’t the inspiring story because it offers up a mystery only for the story to spend too much time on wondering if Kat is going to get laid and by who, we really don’t spend anytime investigating why or what could have happened to her mother, which only disappoints us. This story does drag along to, which for a 90-minute movie is a giant disappointment.
Mystery – The mystery behind this film does leave us feeling like it forgets there is a mystery halfway through the film, it just doesn’t shine enough of a spotlight onto the mystery.
Settings – The settings in the film show us a small town that our main character wants to get out off, which sees more people knowing things than they are willing to give away, when it comes to the truth.
Scene of the Movie – Freezer search.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The mystery doesn’t seem to be the main focus.
Final Thoughts – This feels like a long movie even though it has only a 90-minute runtime, it just drags and doesn’t focus on the mystery enough.
Overall: Dull.
