Film Summary"White Bird in a Blizzard" is a 2014 drama-thriller film directed by Gregg Araki. Based Upon Laura Kasischke's 1999 book of the exact same name, the motion picture stars Shailene Woodley, Eva Green, and Christopher Meloni. It focuses on the unexpected disappearance of a dysfunctional mom and the impacts on her household, particularly her teenage child.
Plot OverviewThe motion picture is reflective and is stated by Kat Connor (Shailene Woodley), a teenager whose mother, Eve (Eva Green) mysteriously vanishes. The movie jumps between the present (in 1988) and the past to provide context to Eve's behavior and relationships, crafting a story filled with suspense. Eva Green plays a 1950s-style homemaker, mentally stuck and dissatisfied with her circumstance. An escalating sense of disillusionment leads her into a series of bad choices, resulting in her sudden disappearance.
Kat's father, Brock Connor (Christopher Meloni), stays passive and unsuspecting of his other half's distressed temperament and unhappy life. When Eve disappears without a trace, Brock seems unusually unaffected, continuing life as typical.
Characterizations and Story ArcKat, a 17-year-old teenager, is left to browse through her teenage years, relationships, and sexual exploration with the memory of her lost mother. She turns to her sweetheart, Phil, and her friends, Mickey and Beth, for convenience while also starting a sexual relationship with the much older Detective Scieziesciez, who unsuccessfully investigates Eve's disappearance.
Despite her traumatizing loss, Kat appears indifferent and at times even eased about her mother's absence, showing her complex feelings towards her mom. Nevertheless, as time passes, she experiences recurring dreams about her mom suffocated and frozen in the snow, suggesting unresolved emotions and a subconscious desire for closure.
Conclusion and ResolutionThe movie takes a dramatic turn when Kat returns home from college for a holiday break. After a psychoanalytic session, she learns about a Freudian principle that shatters her indifference - the idea that sometimes dreams are simply disguises for a truth that the mind is unwilling to accept. Kat instantly returns house and orders her dad to dig up the lawn, where they discover her mother's frozen body, much like in her dreams.
Once her father is detained for murder, Kat assesses her time with her mother. She concludes that despite Eve's failings and flaws, she loved her increasingly and desperately. It's a melancholy ending that sees Kat making peace with her mom's memory and tragic end.
Overall Themes"White Bird in a Blizzard" depicts the complexities within a family while exploring the themes of adolescence, sexual awakening, misery, and acceptance. Told through a non-traditional narrative, the motion picture uses flashbacks and dreams to provide context and depth to the story, leading up to a climactic discovery. Though filled with suspense and stress, at its core, the story has to do with a girl looking for peace and understanding in the middle of the chaos of her mother's disappearance.
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