Stars: Phyllida Law, Emma Thompson, Sheila Reid, Sandra Voe, Arlene Cockburn, Gary Hollywood, Sean Biggerstaff, Douglas Murphy

Director: Alan Rickman

Summary: The lives and relationships of four couples, based around a Scottish seaside town in the icy depths of winter.

A dense, filling slice-of-life set in a tiny snowbound Scottish burg, where four pairs of characters grapple with various aspects of human hardship. Thompson plays opposite Law, her actual mother, as a recently widowed photographer whose haze of grief has driven a wedge into their relationship. Rickman's directorial debut, adapted from the stage play by Sharman MacDonald.

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Set during the brief hours of light one day in February when the sea has frozen, The Winter Guestis about how four pairs of people at different stages of life attempt to fill the emptiness in their hearts. While that sounds bleak--and the setting in a small town on the East coast of Scotland is certainly stark--there is considerable human warmth in Alan Rickman's directorial debut. Without a conventional story, Rickman simply cuts between four strands, spending most of the time with the difficult relationship between a mother and daughter, played by real-life parent and offspring Phyllida Law and Emma Thomson. Strong dialogue, with a dash of Samuel's Beckett's existential squabbling angst and outstanding performances make this both funny and touching. Meanwhile Thomson's teenage son begins a tentative romance with the new girl in town, two younger boys bunk off school to the icy beach and a pair of elderly ladies attends a funeral. Ultimately the ice-locked sea and Michael Kamen's crystalline piano score become additional characters, the film offering a pseudo-mysticism akin to Picnic at Hanging Rock(1975) while echoing with the spare dramas of Krzysztof Kieslowski; especially Three Colours: White(1994). A beautiful drama that demands attention throughout. --Gary S Dalkin

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interactive Menus, Scene Index, Theatrical Trailer
Subtitles:	None
Year:	1997
Release Date:	December 3, 2001
Runtime:	105 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C C D 8834
Label:	Film Four Distributors
Keywords:	General, Winter, Wide, Screen, Guest, Drama
Genre:	Drama