The 2014 indie film White Bird In A Blizzard takes us back to 1988 where a 17 year old Kat Connors (played by Shailene Woodley) suddenly finds herself motherless out of nowhere. Her Mother had upped and disappeared at random, leaving herself and father Brock Connors (played by Law & Order’s Christopher Meloni), stranded in dysfunction. The film from the very start gives off an eerie and uncomfortable vibe that can be quite relatable in a complicated family life type of scenario.
I’ll start by saying that I adore the setup of this film that director and screenplay writer Gregg Araki captures with such ease. What makes this film so relatble [for me], is that of everyday life for the common 17 year old girl. Although it has been a couple of years since I’ve been 17 and the fact that I wasn’t 17 in 1988 just credits him more so because he was able to modernize it without it seeming too out of reach for the audience. I might add that no one could have played the role of Kat Connors better than Divergent’s Shailene Woodley.
Kat’s home life is complicated and hectic at best and the sense of calmness brought to that – as if it’s normal, brings and unusual feeling to the screen. At the beginning, Kat comes home from class to discover her mother wasn’t home and she left all belongings behind. Kat’s father, sat in the house with a rather skeptical concern, expresses his worry so Kat reassures him that she would return with time; however, in all reality, Kat just knew that her mother finally left after threatening to do so for so many years. Eve (Kat’s mother, Brock’s wife) struggled with obvious alcohol abuse, what appeared to be OCD, and hints of manic depression. This film shows an honest representation of mental disorders in an at home setting. No asylum or group of doctors fighting to sedate a seemingly crazy woman.
It’s clear that Eve (played by Eva Green) is living a fairly unhappy life with both husband and child and desires more of her aging life. In many instances, the mostly drunken mother would display excruciating jealousy towards her young and becoming daughter, Kat. Throughout the film, flashbacks of a seemingly happy childhood is seen. Kat and her mother, at one time, had what any mother and daughter could ever want: a healthy and happy bond. As Kat gets older, so does Eve and it’s perceived that mother dearest is chasing her long forgotten, younger self. Eve degrades her daughter’s beauty and youth out of utter envy and one can truly watch this jealously destroy Eve’s being like a flesh-eating-virus. During the entirety of the film, we’re introduced to a few secondary characters to the story line such as Kat’s boyfriend, Phil (played by Shiloh Fernandez). He has a blind mother who is uncannily kind and he, who has a persona of an egotistical bad boy. Phil falls in and out of the story line frequently but always seems to reappear yet again. It’s also evident that Eve distinctly has an odd crush on the youngster and noticeably, it’s mutual. This leads the audience to believe one thing – that she must have had an affair with young bad boy Phil and fled the scene.
I won’t spoil the film for you if you’ve yet to watch it, which I STRONGLY advise – but let’s just say, this mystery story ends in a completely different way than I had initially thought. The element of surprise throughout this entire film is amazing. Never once was I expecting what transpired in the duration of this movie. What I am certain of, is that this film is mindbogglingly good. The fashion, the setting, and the actors/actresses hit every nail right on the head. For the sake of all humanity, I DEMAND (okay, I urge you kindly) to get relaxed on your day off, buy some sweets, and watch one of the best and low-advertised movies created within the past two years. I’m not sure how it’s been out for just over a year and I’ve only just discovered it and all it’s greatness.
Words by Brianna Humes