A dense, filling slice-of-life set in a tiny snowbound Scottish burg, where four pairs of characters grapple with various aspects of human hardship. Thompson plays opposite Law, her actual mother, as a recently widowed photographer whose haze of grief has driven a wedge into their relationship. Rickman's directorial debut, adapted from the stage play by Sharman MacDonald.
Review 1:
"...Rickman has brought the cloistered stage play to vibrant life...his work with the actors is universally superb..."
Source: Box Office
p.42 12/01/1997
Review 2:
"...Ravishing, resonant images.....What is most striking about Rickman's debut is his control of mood, delicately teasing out the metaphorical possibilities of freezing and ice..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.56 01/01/1998
Review 3:
"...The actresses share looks and even body language..."
Source: USA Today
p.3D 12/26/1997
Review 4:
"...A poetic, affecting film....[Law and] Thompson transcend..." -- Rating: B+
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.91 07/17/1998
Review 5:
"...[The film] luxuriously drinks in a magnificent desolation that conjures up somber thoughts of mortality and human loss..."
Source: New York Times
p.E5 12/23/1997
Review 6:
"...[Law and Thompson] give touchingly true performances..."
Source: Rolling Stone
p.67 02/05/1998
Review 7:
"...Phyllida Law and Emma Thompson are mother and daughter in real life, and in the film they have the familiarity of a lifelong couple....[Rickman] has a great command here of look and tone..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.33 01/16/1998
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