| WINTER PASSING |
 2005 - USADirector:
Adam Rapp
- Reviewed by Vickie
Deschanel is Reese Holden, a struggling NYC stage actress with a drug problem, who’s the daughter of two famous writers and who reconnects with her troubled past when she returns to her family home in rural Michigan. Back in the house that she fled years earlier, Reese is confronted with the reality of her once-gifted father (Ed Harris, in a horrible wig that makes him look like Rip Van Winkle) slowly crumbling emotionally and physically. One of his former students (Amelia Warner) has moved in to care for him, and a curious loner (Ferrell) occupies another bedroom and acts as informal security. Bristling at the strangers as much as she does her father, Reese struggles to come to terms with the death of her mother, figure out her own place in the family and resolve the pain of a childhood she views as difficult and disappointing. The film takes place in November and unfolds in a chilly, grey environment that’s perfectly suited for the material. Characters are distant, emotions are rigid and the situations icy, to say the least. Reese carries around deep-rooted resentment that pushes everyone away, and the walls she erects between herself and others spring up constantly. This isn’t a warm family reunion by any stretch of the imagination. But Winter Passing nonetheless possesses an underlying sense of warmth, which is why I think it works so well. Deschanel is irresistibly likable, despite her character’s sometimes harsh demeanor, and she does a nice job ensuring that the Reese’s inner pain is always visible through whatever outward action she might take. As a result, we can empathize with her, even if we might not understand her. For his part, Ferrell is as understated as he’s ever been (even though there are still comic elements to his role), and Amelia Warner delivers a calmly grounding presence amid the chaos between father and daughter. The film’s only weakness, in my opinion, is Harris’ scenery chewing, which turns his character into an over-the-top cliché of a writer gone mad. As a star vehicle, though, the film is subtle and effective. Deschanel works it out from start to finish and doesn’t waver, and thanks to her heartfelt work the film winds up feeling like a soothing cup of cocoa on a frosty winter day. |
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Zooey Deschanel is one of my favorite young actresses and someone whose
career is practically screaming for a break-out role that will attract
the attention she deserves. This quiet character study could be just
such a project, and I hope audiences get a chance to take it in before
it’s stamped as a Will Ferrell vehicle instead.
