Cipher in the Snow

I saw this movie in Jr High I think was in 1977. It effected me very much, I wanted to cry when I watched it. God knows there are many 'ciphers' out there that even the slightest outreach would change their lives. If anyone knows a way to get a copy of this film I would sure be interested in buying a copy. In some ways back then I identified with the boy in the movie at the time. He was depressed and eventually went into total despair and literally willed himself to death. I believe the movie tried to portray how easily preventable this happening was. I think everyone should watch this movie. It shows how even the smallest initial clues can be picked up and the tragic event at the end of the movie can be prevented.

.....then by all means let me know at the above e-mail addy so that I may arrange it for you. This utterly captivating little film is one that a lot of folks my age can't remember the title of but nonetheless will never forget having seen way back in grade school when 16mm projection of educational films was a frequent ritual. While many of the shorts in question that we were forced to sit through were dry, boring affairs, this heart-rending account of a tragically departed child that everyone at school remembers but nobody seemed to love was/is an historic classroom experience for those who were there. A film that simply must be seen by as many contemporary schoolchildren as possible, if only to stem the tide of 'bullying' that's out of control.

I was inspired by this movie. The drama is real. The solution is within our human hands. Very humbling and motivating at the same time. This movie touched me in a profound way, at a deep level. I watched it in Grade 7 or 8 (12-yrs-old) at school (do they still show this in schools?!). I haven't seen it since, but I still think of it and I'm 29-yrs-old now! The boy is so ignored, so non-existent to others. When we don't 'matter' to anyone, it's hard to matter to ourselves, especially when we are teenagers, when social acceptance is so very important. This boy didn't even have a family support network. I related to this at a personal level. It's good to watch shows or read books that help us realize we are not alone; that helps us realize we can help others with such little effort. We underestimate our ability to make a difference in someone's life sometimes.

This penetrating short film was screened at my middle-school in the mid-70s, and to this day it continues to cross my mind. Allegedly inspired by a true event, the film denotes a lonely, withdrawn boy ridiculed by schoolmates, invisible to teachers, and mistreated at home. A complete absence of love and intermutuality gradually reduces him to "a cipher"(meaning, literally, "zero"). One early morning before school, he is finally granted a single tender mercy...he falls dead on a snowbank, released at last from his quiet suffering.

I consider this film an integral part of my upbringing. It planted a seed in my young mind, and served to pilot my conscious efforts toward being a good person, and to step forward when others are being unjustly or inhumanely treated. In the many years which have passed since I saw it, I suspect CIPHER has become stylistically dated. That said, I feel it should be remade generationally, so as to update its appeal with the ever-changing mindset of youth. The relevance of this story is eternal, and the importance of human empathy and the awareness that everyone matters can never be given too much reenforcement.

Kudos to the LDS church for funding this silent scream. Eight well-deserved stars for the film, and a zillion stars for the urgency of its purpose.

This short strongly affected me when I was at an age and circumstance in life where it proved to be a very effective film. Who would have thought one would see something like this in school. It is the only short shown in school in those days that I can clearly remember today as a powerful film. I assume school films have come a long way from the "duck and cover" fare that was the staple of the cold war. Plus the endless vague health films that left you more confused than informed. And of course the infamous one time a year sex information film which you needed a signed permission slip to view. Again, no information and much laughter was the result. I would have sworn I was younger when I saw "Cipher in the Snow",however. I must have viewed it when it was just released. Thanks to IMDb for listing it. Alex