White Bird

White Bird in a Blizzard is one of the more interesting films of 2014, but it fails to pull off what it seemed like it promised it would. Shailene Woodley and Eva Green star as a daughter-mother duo in a mysterious crime drama. I really don't know what to make of this film. It's full of terrific performances by the entire cast, but the direction and execution of this story felt a little off.

But I have to commend Shailene Woodley for taking on different roles though. It seems as though she wants to be seen as something other than a teenage heartthrob in teen angst films. She is fabulous as Kat and once again proves that she is one of the best criers in the business. Eva Green, though not given a whole lot to do, makes the most out of her estranged wife character. I didn't know where her character was going and I definitely questioned the character arc, but she was great in the limited role. Christopher Meloni was also really good. I haven't been too familiar with his work besides Man of Steel so to me, he was pretty much a revelation.

There are a few dream sequences in the film, but really the entire movie felt dream like. The choice of colors, or non colors, really made it unique. The music, although good, was out of place and contributed to the strangeness of the film. Finally the entire last act was poorly directed. The way the events unravel, or lack there of, seemed anticlimactic. There was a moment with about 20 minutes ago where I felt really intrigued as to what would happen, but then it all just fell apart for me.

+Performances across the board

+Colorful

-Direction

-Last act

-What is it trying to say?

5.6/10

Rebellious teenager Kat Connors is only 17 when in 1988 her mother disappears in a blink, leaving her alone with her dull pushover of a father. Initially indifferent to the situation Kat soon has to reflect, and come to terms with her mother's absence while she comes of age and succumbs to her own primal sexual urges. Unorthodox, uneven mix of coming-of-age teen drama and police procedural doesn't mesh cohesively, especially with some fanciful dream sequences thrown in, plus there's a disconnect between the acting styles of Woodley, who brings a real authenticity to her role, and Green, who's unnerving and a bit too over-the-top. There's enough of the family dysfunction, youthful debauchery, and verbal diarrhea to keep a viewer invested, but the ending, which is meant to be shocking, instead just lacks conviction or impact. **

This movie was more about a teenager's obsessing with her breasts and sex ,then about her missing mother! Her mother's missing and given their history she assumed mom left dad, meanwhile all she can think about is sex with the detective that's on the case of her missing mother, and screwing her boyfriend who no longer desires her , which we find out why later on in the movie. For the movie to supposedly be about a woman gone missing it sure did not focus on it. It focused more on the girl coming of age and her desires, if that's the case it should have been titled A Coming of Age ,college years later she's literally sitting around her friends before she actually gets the idea that maybe, just maybe her mom didn't run away after all, maybe something did happen to her? Maybe dad is responsible? Just for her friends to tell her hey, we've been telling you that for years now! Really Columbo?

"I was 17 when my mother disappeared. Just as I was becoming nothing but my body, she stepped out of hers and left it behind." Kat (Woodley) is about to graduate high school and has great friends, a loving father and a mother (Green) who is very unstable and bitter. One day her mother goes missing and no one knows what happened. Little by little Kat and her father begin to move on. During Kat's return home during a college break the mystery comes up again but this time Kat wants to know what really happened. This is a great movie and I highly recommend this. There are enough aspects to this that keep you guessing and interested the entire time. The only bad thing I can say about this is that it was released a few weeks too late. Had this come out before I saw Gone Girl I think I would have liked it more. The idea is fairly similar but I though Gone Girl was better. That movie had me guessing the entire time and I was wrong every time. I love movies like that. This one had me guessing too but I was able to stay ahead of it just enough to where I wasn't as surprised like I was with Gone Girl. That said though I do highly recommend this movie and is one to check out for sure. Overall, a great movie that is hurt a little by the amazingness of Gone Girl being released the week before. I give this an A-.

White Bird in a Blizzard is set in the 1988, and tells the story of Kat Conner, played by Shailene Woodley, a 17 year old girl who seems to live a normal life until her perfect, homemaker mother, Eve, played by Eva Green, disappears one day. Having lived in a dysfunctional relationship with her mother, she feels little pain or sadness towards her mother's absence. She doesn't even blame her father, Brock, played by Chris Meloni, as he is too much of a wimp to have anything to do with her disappearance. As a few years go by, and Kat goes to College, she begins to realize just how much her mother's disappearance really impacted her, as she finds herself investigating and discovering the truth about what really happened.

White Bird in a Blizzard is based on a novel by Laura Kasischke and adapted by director Gregg Araki. Simply put, it is a somewhat bizarre, silly, sex romp, featuring a great lead performance by Shailene Woodley. This film fits director Gregg Araki's usual teenage sex and violence overtones, and features some pretentious and overbearing dialogue that almost comes off as an unintentional comedy. There are also some interesting things in this film, directing-wise: an unusual opening with a shot of Eve, the mother, on her back and a recurring dream sequence throughout involves Kat seeing her mother naked in the snow (hence the title). This is actually supposed to be a symbol for the film and a clue to the audience about the truth of the mystery. Additionally, the film's use of flashbacks is both bizarre and fascinating at the same time, making the relationship between mother and daughter all the more dysfunctional and creepy.

In the lead role, Shailene Woodley demonstrates her talents portraying a teenager who really doesn't know who to trust. The flashback where her mother comes into the room and tries to psychically assault her features some very fine acting by Woodley. In comparison, Eva Green appears more "over the top' and gives a notably "hammy" performance, portraying a clearly disturbed woman. In one of the scenes, for example, when she tries to act younger than her age and then breakdowns, it is mildly disturbing and gloriously cheesy all at the same time. The other actors in the film are good, especially Chris Meloni as the father who has a secret to hide, and Angela Bassett as a psychiatrist.

Overall I thought this was interesting film, but I don't know what to really make of it.