Snow Angels (DVD)

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If this tangle of lives sounds like the stuff of daytime soap opera, I suppose that is how the filmmakers want us to see it. In this regard, we have a kind of "American Beauty" going on, except that the satire in "Snow Angels" appears not nearly so pointed nor so caustically funny. Indeed, the filmmakers present none of this in a funny manner at all. It's deadly serious, particularly when, about halfway through the picture, a profound tragedy occurs that portends a further evil to come.

By the time the movie ends, the consequences for Michael and most of his acquaintances are grave and not at all humorous or even ironically sarcastic. They are simply disastrous for disaster's sake.

I'm sure one could interpret "Snow Angels" as an intense and deeply felt examination of the complexities of interpersonal relationships and how difficult they can be for all of us, especially for people who don't have the economic opportunities they need. Such an interpretation is well and good, and more power to those who view it that way. My trouble is that I came away despising most of the main characters (except the two teens, who are quite likable) and wondering why the filmmakers were stacking the deck so squarely against them. I found the film uncomfortably wallowing in self-pity, self-doubt, and misery for their own sake. With no compelling characters and no fresh philosophical observations, I found "Snow Angels" as empty a film as the people whose lives inhabit it.

Video:
Warner Bros. offer the movie in two screen formats, the original 2.40:1 theatrical ratio in anamorphic widescreen on one side of the disc and a 1.33:1 ratio pan-and-scan version on the other side. Obviously, I opted for the widescreen and only glanced at the "full-screen." What I found was a picture that looked slightly subdued, as though the filmmakers drained some of the color out of the image in order to show us how drab the characters are. This is a low-key film, so the colors match. The screen can also be somewhat dark and a little fuzzy most of the time. A moderate film grain provides a natural texture, but it also creates a slightly rough appearance. Close-ups are quite realistic, though, and they reveal good detail.

Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound has little to do except reproduce dialogue, which it does comfortably. If you don't expect much in the way of stereo spread, surround sound, frequency response, or dynamic range, you should find it works fine.

Extras:
My guess is that Warners would say the major extra on this disc is the additional screen format. Since most viewers will only watch one format, I can't say it's much of an extra. Otherwise, we get a main menu; twenty-seven scene selections; English and French spoken languages; French and Spanish subtitles; and English captions for the hearing impaired. In other words, no major extras.

Parting Shots:
Audiences will find value in "Snow Angels" for its sincerity, its quality acting, its occasional tension, and its unique style. Unfortunately, the film's positive attributes were for me not quite enough to make up for the movie's unrelentingly grim tone (like the colorless snow covering the characters' colorless lives) and its apparent lack of moral purpose. Unless the film's message is that life goes on despite the tragedies that beset us all, a rather obvious disclosure at best, the film served little purpose except to depress this viewer.

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