SLIFF 2009 Review: SNOW (Snijeg)

Wow! Out of the films that I have viewed for the St. Louis International Film Festival, this was by far the most powerful. Snow (Snijeg) tells the story of the effects of war on a Bosnian  village. They are now  diminished  in numbers.  What was once a prosperous and happy village is now a dark and sad place. Women and orphans are all that remain. The only man is the elder of the town. Still, rather than dwell, their lives must continue, and they must go on with their daily lives and responsibilities.

The women of the town soon become torn as two business men travel to their area with the hopes of buying the land for development. Now they are forced to make a decision. They are faced with change and must decide what is best for them, if they are betraying their values, and overall make sense of everything. Does the village move on and ignore their tragic past, or do they confront their past and break their silence about the tragedy that was so unfairly bestowed upon them.

The script is subtle, yet powerful. The pain,  despair  and agony are felt through observation rather than being overly drawn out and pushed down the viewers throat. The film is also riddled with symbolism, but not overly saturated. There is a beautiful simplicity that makes this film powerful. I think this was also aided by not knowing any of the actors. Not recognizing any big stars aided to the characters feeling of realism, and contributed to the films strength and message.  I would highly recommend seeing ‘Snow’. Just be warned that this is not your normal, warm and fuzzy, feel good movie.

SNOW will screen at the Tivoli on Tuesday, November 17th at 6:30pm and on Wednesday, November 18th at 9:00pm during the 18th Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival.