Drifting Snow

Drifting Snow is a Canadian drama film, directed by Ryan Noth and released in 2021.[1]

Drifting Snow
Directed byRyan Noth
Written byRyan Noth
Produced byRyan Noth
Tess Girard
StarringSonja Smits
Jonas Bonnetta
CinematographyTess Girard
Edited byAndres Landau
Music byJonas Bonnetta
Production
company
Fifth Town Films
Distributed byGame Theory Films
Release date
  • March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02) (KCFF)
Running time
74 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The film centres on Joanne (Sonja Smits) and Chris (Jonas Bonnetta), two strangers brought together by a car accident on a back road in Ontario's Prince Edward County; although neither is injured, Chris's car is damaged enough to not be drivable, so Joanne drives him back to town in hers. Each is grieving a recent loss following the death of Joanne's husband John (Colin Mochrie) and Chris's mother; Chris has also recently been diagnosed with a progressive eye disease which may eventually threaten his career as a cinematographer. As the two talk during the drive, their shared experiences of loss and uncertainty about the future help each to find new perspective on their lives.[2]

The cast also includes Linda Goranson, Jess Salgueiro, Patricia Phillips, Chris Locke and Rachel Bonnetta.

Production

The film was shot in 2019, and had been planned to debut at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival in 2020, but was not screened at that time due to the cancellation of the festival in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.[3] It instead had its debut at the online edition of the festival in 2021,[3] before being commercially released to video on demand platforms in May.[1]

Critical response

Chris Knight of the National Post rated the film 3.5 stars out of 5, writing that it felt like a pandemic film even though it had been shot prior to COVID. He singled out Tess Girard's cinematography as the true highlight of the film, comparing it favourably to the work of Denis Côté.[1]

Amil Niazi of The Globe and Mail concurred that Girard's cinematography was the standout part of the film, writing that "Girard's long, plaintive scenes and lingering shots of the county lend a brutal beauty and tension to the film’s otherwise slower-moving parts. Girard uses her skillful eye to portray the harshness of the land but also uplifts its curves, lending them a sense of comfort for those who choose to stay and make a home in its seemingly unforgiving shapes."[2] Niazi praised both Smits's and Bonnetta's performances, and concluded that the film "is actually a perfect distillation of the pandemic experience. From the daily weight of navigating grief in solitude to the desires of many to leave the frenetic pace of city life for something more still and intentional, Drifting Snow is almost a tribute to what the past year has been for so many of us, fumbling our way toward something less lonely and waiting for the snow to pass."[2]

Awards

Girard received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Cinematography at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022.[4]

References
  1. Chris Knight, "Drifting Snow wasn't shot during the pandemic, but it captures the mood nonetheless". National Post, May 12, 2021.
  2. Amil Niazi, "Canadian drama Drifting Snow finds brutal beauty in Prince Edward County". The Globe and Mail, May 11, 2021.
  3. Peter Hendra, "County-made movie to finally debut at film festival". Kingston Whig-Standard, February 25, 2021.
  4. Brent Furdyk, "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, ‘Sort Of’ & ‘Scarborough’ Lead The Pack". ET Canada, February 15, 2022.
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