White Snow

Author(s): George
Location: Atlanta

“White Snow"

Written and Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Score by: James Newton Howard

Principal Cast:

Joaquin Phoenix as Owen
Kate Beckinsale as Julie
Keanu Reeves as Sam
Laurence Fishburne as The Sheriff
Bill Nighy as Elder Falroy
Liam Neeson as Elder Stapes
Ian McKellen as Elder Gyrates

Tagline: "Beware of the White Snow"

Synopsis: Owen lives in a community where all everyone does (except the three elders) is carry giant rocks to and from places to keep their community stable and so it won’t collapse on itself. Owen thinks there is something better than this and so does his sister Julie. They go to the three elders and ask them what is it like outside the community. Falroy says there is nothing and you will die if you leave. Owen’s friend Sam is told about this and goes to the elders. He hears them talking about the “White Snow”. He asks what this is and they say when the White Snow comes, they will all die. He tells Owen and Julie this and they all do not know what this means. They want to escape but can’t because of the watchful eye of the sheriff. Owen goes back to the elders and asks them more about the White Snow. Gyrates says the White Snow is a sign of the end of times. He survived an encounter with it but all of his other friends burnt to death when the snow touched them. Owen asks where the White Snow comes from and Gyrates says it comes from beings far more powerful than us.

A day after this Owen tells Julie and Sam about this and they are more frightened than ever. Julie tries to escape that night, only to be caught by the sheriff and never seen again. A week after that Owen is still mourning over the loss of his sister. He knows he has to stand up to the Elders once and for all. One day he is moving another giant rock. He smells something and looks at his community. All of the other workers are piling rocks and they don’t smell anything. Owen looks up and sees something. White Snow. He tells the elders and the elders rush to run away. He goes back out to the town and sees people disintegrating in front of his eyes. He sees Sam’s rotted corpse. He looks up. Why?

We zoom out of their community and see a human pouring ant killer on an ant pile in his backyard…

What the press would say:

Gilliam has disappointed many with his recent movies like THE BROTHERS GRIMM and TIDELAND, but here he takes away horror for satirical irony like no one has ever seen. Using a cunning mix of drama and savage comedy, Gilliam brings an in-depth look at a community that we don’t really know about to frightening life. You can never place the date or where the community is. All you know is that this place is more than it seems. The cast is not a huge part of the film, but it works when it has to. Also, the cast are real people and not computer animated ants which make this film even more compelling. Gilliam’s cameo as the human at the end is great also. The score by Newton Howard is amazing and adds an edge to the film that makes it even better. The film seems to take itself too seriously, and with good reason seeing as it is supposed to be a satire. It is also great because you can look at it two ways. One as a comedy you can brush off and another way is that you can actually think about and realize it is very relative to our times. The message is amazingly clear by making you think one way and the stand your thoughts on its head. The surprise ending makes it seem as if no matter how we try to stop tyranny we always end up falling short of the world’s standards. Either way you look at it, it’s still a great movie!!

Awards:
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Original Screenplay
Best Score
Best Cinematography
Best Art Direction
Best Make-up
Best Visual Effect