[Review] White Bird in a Blizzard

Eva Green and Shaliene Woodley are mother and daughter in White Bird in A Blizzard, a weird and enigmatic mystery melodrama, set in the late '80s and early '90s of American suburbia.

Amidst its opening '80s indie-pop music and bright Autumn colors, the film initially feels like a teen coming-of-age tale when Kat Connors (Woodley), an experimental teenager searching for an identity steps off the school bus. But everything quickly delves into psychological arthouse territory, when Kat's gloomy mother, Eve (Green), randomly vanishes from the household one day. Kat's dazed and confused father, Brock (Christopher Meloni), isn't much help in the matter. All the characters project a cold dissonance in their mannerisms, and there are a number of surreal dream sequences involving Kat trudging through the snow in search for her missing mother.

The first act of the film gives off the impression that this could be a slog. The script is based on a book of the same name, and Kat's frequent voiceover in the storytelling creates an unwanted feeling of a novelistic approach with visuals. But that aspect eventually sheds, and a few revelations and unconventional affairs along the way hold enough intrigue to make us want to stick around until the end to find out where the heck Eve went. It's the type of odd film that grows on you as it progresses, and you don't have to wait too long for the payoff, because its runtime doesn't even reach 90 minutes.

White Bird in A Blizzard has its flaws and head-scratchers. Sometimes it's a little too offbeat and tonally awkward for its own good. It never quite resonates as much as you want it to, but it's still a unique film and a lingering experience that shouldn't be given up on.

6.5/10