When the clip for WHITE BIRD IN A BLIZZARD premiered, I was intrigued by the names attached to the film: Shailene Woodley, Eva Green, Christopher Meloni, Shiloh Fernandez, Gabourey Sidibe, Thomas Jane and Angela Bassett. That and it comes from director Greg Araki who has helmed MYSTERIOUS SKIN and THE DOOM GENERATION. Having seen Araki’s previous films, I knew to expect something a little outside the norm, likely very sexual, and definitely heavily influenced by music.
There is no doubt this clip has all three of those elements, but almost nothing else. The clip is basically a montage of scenes from the movie featuring Shailene Woodley and Shiloh Fernandez making out in multiple settings. The costume design and hair instantly made me think the movie was set during the 1980s, but you cannot tell much else. I tracked down a plot synopsis to help me understand what the heck I was watching.
the 1988-set film follows Kat, a college-bound teenager who is just discovering and relishing her newfound sexuality when her mother (Green), a beautiful, enigmatic, and haunted woman, disappears. Having lived for so long in a stifled, emotionally repressed household, Kat barely registers her mother’s absence and certainly doesn’t blame her doormat of a father, Brock (Meloni), for the loss. But as time passes, Kat begins to come to grips with how deeply Eve’s disappearance has affected her. Returning home on a break from college, she finds herself confronted with the truth about her mother’s departure, and her own denial about the events surrounding it.
Sounds interesting. While the clip didn’t really grab me, Woodley has begun to prove herself as an actress to watch. Couple that with the fact that Eva Green is in this and I am there in a heartbeat. Hopefully this turns out to be more than just a forgotten indie with a bizarre title that no one ever sees. Check out the clip, poster, and images from the film below.
WHITE BIRD IN A BLIZZARD will be available on iTunes and VOD starting September 25th with a limited theatrical run on October 24.