Dead of Winter created something of a minor media storm here in Finland when production units came to work at the sleepy national park of Koli.
Once filming wrapped, Emma Thompson, in a brilliant PR move, penned a love letter to the Finnish crew and their country which received prominent space in the national newspapers. When the film finally premiered, Thompson returned to Helsinki for a glitzy premiere to reiterate her love for the place.
The periphery is more interesting than the movie itself, which is as humdrum as these things get. Thompson delivers a stellar performance as an unlikely heroine in mourning, but it only draws attention to how weak almost everything else is.
Thompson plays Barb, a recent widower living in northern Minnesota, who sets out to scatter the ashes of her late husband at Lake Hilda, where decades ago they had their first date. As the weather grows dire, Barb stops by a local cabin for direction and notices something is off. Her curiosity gets the best of her and it's not long before she's embroiled in an organ harvesting plot fit for a Coen bros. movie.
The plot description sounds chaotic and unexpected because Dead of Winter is effectively two very different films competing with one another. Everything to do with Barb coming to terms with her loss is deeply moving, and Thompson delivers a heartfelt and sincere performance in the part. In a shorter and more focused story, this could easily rank among the better dramas of the year.
Then there's the other movie, where to hopelessly dumb criminals, played by the very game duo of Marc Menchaca and Judy Greer, attempt to kidnap and disembowl a young girl for their own benefit. This part of the film is played big, loud, and almost to the point of slapstick. Every time we switch gears between Thompson's melancholy to Greer's fury, the film lurches awkwardly in place.
As a result, neither section gets the attention it deserves. Thompson's journey feels unfocused, while Greer's like an afterthought when the producers realized there isn't enough material for a full feature. By the end, both resolve in ways that are deeply unsatisfying, as if first drafts waiting for a rewrite.
The film is directed by Brian Kirk, a veteran of decent television series like Luck, Game of Thrones, and Penny Dreadful. He's no stranger to odd tonal shifts and big swings, yet he showcases none of the flair from prior outings here. Only a singular moment truly impresses, where Thompson lets decades of love and longing pour out in cascading waves that can't find the right words. It's a beautiful and delicately handled scene that feels out of place with the schlocky surroundings.
As a weekend rental, Dead of Winter might suffice as something viewed in post-Christmas dinner coma. Like an airport novel, it has passages that surprise with occasional eloquence that are lost in a sea of tired tropes and aimless twists. But the performances are good and it's never so tedious as to bore entirely. The hardest part is knowing that everyone involved can do better, so why settle for something so half-baked.
