Directed by Marc Evans
Snow is all around in this heartwarming Canadian drama, as random friendships give brief moments of warmth to three lonely people. Alex (Alan Rickman) arrives from England and is driving to Winnipeg when he finds shelter from the snow in a roadside diner. Shortly after leaving the diner, his journey is interrupted when a tragic car accident leaves him stranded in Wawa, Ontario. Alex finds himself staying with and looking after the eccentric Linda (Sigourney Weaver) who has high-functioning autism and a raft of obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
The connection between Linda and Alex is complicated, however, because it was Linda’s daughter who was killed in the accident. Although the accident wasn’t his fault, Alex feels guilty and ends up helping to arrange the funeral. While the emotionally distant Alex defends himself with scathing one-liners – as one would expect from a character inhabited by Rickman – it is not long before he thaws to reveal a complex network of compassion and vulnerability. The secretive Alex begins an affair with Linda’s neighbour Maggie (Carrie-Anne Moss), a passionate woman who keeps love at arm’s length. As the white landscape begins to melt, a curious triangle develops and the misfits allow some of their innermost thoughts to be seen through tiny cracks in their tough facades.
Weaver is an absolute delight as she submerges herself into the child-like character of the autistic Linda, who has more success in introducing Alex to the wonderful game of comic book scrabble than she has sharing the delights of eating snow with him. Linda’s daughter had written that the most lonely characters have the best stories, and Snow Cake is one that will creep up slowly and envelop you in life-affirming warmth.
