The Winter House

What happens if you meet someone you like, and know they are lying about who they are? What if you're lying too, even to yourself? Is there any way back from that? If you have a nostalgic longing for the romcoms of the '90s, "The Winter House," latest movie from indie filmmaker Keith Boynton, has both good and bad news for you. The good news is, this is the movie you were actually looking for, but didn't know it until now. The bad news is that you probably didn't wake up this morning in a charming New England cottage with the dishy Francois Arnaud. No disrespect to Lili Taylor. Her character, Eileen, definitely holds the POV here. Eileen is the latest, perhaps the calmest and at the same time the strongest (so far) of all the formidably strong and capable female characters Boynton writes so beautifully and completely. Both Taylor's and Arnaud's performances are rock-solid, the nuances of their close-ups and micro-expressive reaction shots astonishingly masterful. This movie is not what you think at first--or on the first two or three guesses. But eventually all will be revealed. Beautiful photography, lovely score by Michael Ford, masterfully nuanced performances aided by sensitive dialogue and direction from writer/director Keith Boynton. Authentic, improbable and very satisfying.

Unlikely encounter between 2 people which will lead to their salvation. The slow pace of the beginning entails a growing suspense, developed through insightful dialogs on the frailties and strengths of human nature, with unexpected action.

Keith Boynton, as always, masters the craft of storytelling, and his script and dialogs are full of insight on human nature, as well as tenderness for his characters.

The film is beautifully filmed, the actors Lili Taylor and François Arnaud wonderfully express the subtleties of their hidden secrets, and feelings.

Seeing such a clever and human movie is not a common occurrence, it's a real treat.

In an era of rampant wattpad adaptations, where movies are made to tick some checkboxes and rush through 90 minutes or runtime to churn out mediocrity and halfbaked characters that are nothing but decorations, this movie is engaging and captivating. The story is simple - a woman who is grieving and a man with a past. The movie introspectively sit on a couch in a winter house, and take a deep dive in the idiosyncrasies of these two characters. Powered by very strong performances, the movie slowly grows on you and allows you to sync with the moods of character.

A must watch if you love cinema as a form of poetic story telling.

This was a nice little fantasy about meeting just the right person for you while all alone in a beautiful, warm isolated cabin.

It's winter in New Hampshire so the lake is frozen and the summer people are all away so hiking and playing music is about all they have to do.

They use a Robert Frost poem to begin communicating and then use word play throughout their relationship and it's often very clever, sometimes sad, and other times amusing.

There is another movie around with a very similar premise.

The only trouble with really slow, quiet movies is that little quirky things can become noticable and very distracting. Eileen's hair fell over her eyes and had to be either pushed away with her hand or flipped away by jerking her head ... about four thousand times.

A middle-aged woman in search of answers. A young man who has stopped asking questions. Both stand on a perilous edge where they expected to be alone, but fate decides otherwise.

She is a seasoned writer, he dabbled in poetry long ago, but they both share the same awareness of the poignancy of words. And it is words -and literature- that bring them close.

Against a background that is both bleak and intensely beautiful, they engage in conversation that at times becomes an enjoyable fencing match, a battle of wits which slowly chips away at each other's reticence to open up. They become this unlikely pair that guide each other towards meaning, answers, and a newly found will to walk back from that edge to a safer place, and try again.

Impeccable acting, a witty, flowing script, the perfect setting, masterful direction, and a skillfully crafted soundtrack make this movie one of those jewels that you will not want to miss, and are not likely to forget.