AFI Review: Snow Angels

Last night I did my AFI duties and hit the Centerpiece Screening of Snow Angels, held at the glamorous movie-going arena that is the AMC NorthPark 15. (How I picked the only theater that doesn’t serve alcohol, I’m not really sure, but anyhoo.) Downtairs, Chuck D and the boys from Public Enemy were walking the red carpet, but upstairs in Theater 8, we had Sam Rockwell, so there!

I knew a little bit about Snow Angels before last night’s screening–enough to know that I probably wasn’t going to leave the theater feeling “happy” or “positive,” but man, that was one sad show. Directed by Dallasite David Gordon Green, (who told us during his intro to the film that he used to work at the Glen Lakes 8 movie theater in high school), and based on a novel by Stewart O’Nan, the film basically explores the relationships between several couples, all set in a snowy small town (it was filmed in Nova Scotia). Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale are Glenn and Annie, an estranged married couple with a little girl, and the film centers around their crumbling relationship. Amy Sedaris plays Annie’s best friend Barb, whose husband (played by Nicky Katt), is unfortunately sleeping with Annie. This is already a lot of typing. The sweeter moments come from the budding relationship of cutie Arthur (Michael Angarano) and Lila (Juno’s Olivia Thrilby), high schoolers on the verge of luv. The end is really, really sad and disturbing. But Rockwell was amazing as Glenn, a man who is just barely holding it all together in the beginning and is totally nutso by the end. Beckinsale was actually very good too.

We didn’t go to the after-party at LFT, so if YOU did, how was it?