The Ice Storm

Ang Lee, USA, 1997
3.5 out of 4 stars

It’s not as if it’s not clear what was happening, but I wasn’t entirely certain what it all meant when the film was done. Nevertheless, it made a very strong, positive impression on me. It sounds dumb, but the “ice storm” was more literal than I expected, and this led to some very beautiful shots. In fact, the imagery in this film does indeed, as at least one critic remarked, make Ang Lee’s work on Brokeback Mountain look lazy. Much of what happens in this film (although eventful, there isn’t a “plot” per se) is unnerving but also rather mundane, but for the most part, James Schamus’ screenplay avoids the obvious and expected. The only exception seems to be the ending, which as I hinted, baffled me a bit; I wasn’t opposed to it per se, but it did seem like I was missing something. In conclusion, this is a good film that went over my head.

Source: Fox DVD
29 April, 9:08 PM