Eva Green is bewitching onscreen in Gregg Araki’s latest.

Director: Gregg Araki

Starring: Eva Green, Shailene Woodley, Christopher Meloni

Rating: 15

Running Time: 91 mins

Release Date: January 20th

‘You scratch the surface and there’s just more surface’, Kat (played by Shailene Woodley) says, referring to her boyfriend and father. This criticism uttered by the main character in WHITE BIRD IN A BLIZZARD, could easily be levelled at the film itself. Frustratingly, it is often on the verge of saying something – beyond the conventional story – but falls short. Unfortunately, director Gregg Araki has fashioned this part coming-of-age, part mystery, without doing justice to either genre. It lacks the rigour of his visual mastery.

WHITE BIRD IN A BLIZZARD centres on the disappearance of Kat’s mother, Eve (played by the sultry Eva Green). Kat’s memory of the past is recounted through flashbacks of home life and her parent’s relationship. As the film progresses, its most interesting theme becomes apparent. Memories are increasingly erroneous, their integrity compromised by the unconscious anxieties plaguing her dreams. There are two pivotal instances where this is especially relevant to the story: one in which her mother is seen out in the snow, the other when a household appliance loses power.

Technically, this is a finely-crafted effort. From the outset, the film pays homage to the sinister innocence of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet – similarly creating a mysterious suburban world. The flashbacks are frequently offbeat and haunting, emphasising rich colours and a surrealistic rigidness in the acting. Kat’s narration works during the regressions to the past, as they summarise her grievances, even if she’s not recalling memories accurately­­­­­.

Both the tension and intimacy Araki builds between his central characters is influenced by the way he frames and positions them at a distance in confided spaces, and up close in larger spaces. For all Kat’s troubles with Eve, these spatial techniques are emphasised in scenes with her father, connoting the strain on their relationship. Araki, similar to Roman Polanski, John Cassavettes, and other directors who’ve specialised in psychological drama, has a penchant for representing emotional states in this manner instead of overusing dramatic dialogue.

The film’s unsettling vibe is underscored by a soundtrack packed with eerie pop tunes of the 80s. Kat’s music taste and club haunt anthems compromise of down tempo synth and ethereal, breathy singing. Always a sign of a knowledgeable director, Araki plays with diegetic and non-diegetic music cues as early as the opening scene. Kat is listening to music in her headphones, yet for a moment it is unclear to the audience whether it is part of the film score. The theme of uncertainty, then – whether reality or dream is being depicted – is further supported by the utilisation of music in these carefully staged scenes.

The acting across the board is solid. Eva Green’s sinister, narcissistic mother is melodramatic to a fault, but she still bewitches and commands the screen. Green has a disturbing knack of oscillating from homely and amenable, to Cruella De Ville, by facial expressions alone. Woodley is particularly impressive, exuding sexuality and angst in equal doses, reminiscent of a young Lindsay Lohan. Christopher Meloni is convincingly mute and ambiguous in disposition. Although his behaviour appears inconsistent, it’s explained by Kat’s whitewashing and lop-sided recollection of the past.

WHITE BIRD IN A BLIZZARD is a commendable effort, Araki is a talented director, and he gets the most out of an average script. Although the film feels disjointed and uneven at times, too often treading water than embracing its themes fully, the atmosphere Araki has painstakingly mustered manages to intrigue enough to carry the film. Worth seeing for its left-field approach, even if its hybrid-genre pretensions result in a fuzzy, lacklustre journey.

Verdict

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