This turns into an arrangement wherein he agrees to stay for a week, to help plan the funeral, and to take out the trash on Tuesday. In that week, he falls for the woman next door (played by Carrie-Anne Moss), who he has mistaken for a prostitute, this being the only reason he initially allows himself to make a connection), and forms a friendship with the wounded Linda, one that is based on the fact that they each respect the other's boundaries, mostly.
Linda, as a high functioning autistic, is a metaphor for Alex in many ways. She doesn't need people. People frighten her. Disorder frightens her. When she asks if it is compulsory to cry at funerals, she is glad when Alex says it isn't, because she is not sure she will. In another scene, when Alex says “I know how you feel; I lost a son...” she protests. How could you possibly know how I feel, she says, when I don't even know most of the time? Though Linda is autistic, her struggle with emotions is a fundamentally human one.
Sigourney Weaver is mesmerizing as Linda. (And incredibly pretty in person.) Whether the portrait is accurate is something I cannot attest to, but the character is fascinating to watch. There is a sense that this a woman who is trying very hard to stay on the surface; on the surface, she can understand things. She knows to make tea for a guest, but not that the dog should be fed something other than a frozen banana. She knows that Alex isn't to blame for the accident, but she doesn't quite know what to do with the knowledge that Vivienne is completely gone. Both Alex and Linda are trapped within themselves, comfortable with the predictability of that arrangement; by the end, they are still insular, but they are aware of it, and they have challenged themselves, even if only temporarily.
Article comments
1 - Yulia Ivanova
Thank you very much Bonnie for that review, I trust it does show the sense of "Snow Cake"!
2 - Lydia W
I too was there to see the film and thought it was great. Mr Rickman can play any type of character to perfection. Ms Weaver was very good and funny. I thought they played comically well together. Th scrabble sceen was the best. I almost fell out of my chair laughing with the cookie sceen. This one good movie that i think everyone should see.
3 - April
This was a wonderful review...I've been looking forward to this film for a while. Rickman is fantastic in all that he touches, but this story sounds good enough to stand alone.
4 - Michelle
I am wondering, since TIFF always predicts Oscar chances, does anyone think the Academy should at least pay attention to Rickman's acting in this film, even if they find the story conventional? I mean, what I've heard, he's amazing!! Brilliant! Sensational! Best role of his career thus far! So why hasn't there been any buzz about this role while Ryan Gosling is actually being considered? I have nothing against Ryan Gosling but I have heard better talk about Rickman but less buzz!
5 - Bonnie
Rickman is very good in this film as always, but I don't know if it's quite Oscar worthy. I'm not sure it has that something extra that I always think should be in an Oscar-nominated performance. Then again, I am a lousy predicter of Oscars, and I am often surprised by the nominees. And I certainly wouldn't have any problems if this Rickman's performance was nominated. Also, I'm not sure when Snow Cake is being released; maybe that's why there hasn't been a lot of buzz so far?