Dark of Winter
I’m not sure that I would agree with the assessment of David C. Snyder’s latest thriller, “Dark of Winter,” as a “horror film.” True, there are surreal elements throughout the film’s 72-minute narrative that align with some of the more terrifying moments of David Lynch’s films (which in the end, this film compares favorably to), the movie is ultimately a personal thriller, as our hero goes about his life, only to find that things are more complicated than they seem on the surface.
Singer/actor Kyle Jason stars as John French, an assassin in the middle of a job for his employer when weird things begin to happen to him. He begins to spit blood, and in fact, washing blood off of his body begins to be a regular occurrence. He begins having hallucinations, not just of other people, but of himself. And he is unexpectedly visited by Sarah, a young woman who was friends with his daughter, Shelley, who died ten years ago. The reminder of his past is getting in the way of his present, and will lead him down a path that he isn’t prepared for.
The first film of Snyder’s I saw was “The Quiet Arrangement” back in 2009, which is more-straightforward than this film narratively, but just as intriguing because of Snyder’s use of atmospheric cinematography and music to give the proceedings a sense of dread and foreboding. Admittedly, I think that I’m still more of a fan of that film than I am this film, because as “Dark of Winter” wraps up, it felt overly convoluted, with the story raising more questions than answers in its last moments. Whether a second screening would aide in answering those questions, I’m not sure; possibly it would, but repeat viewings shouldn’t be essential to the understanding of a movie, but enriching to the one’s experience. Don’t get me wrong– there’s nothing wrong with finding new things in a movie the more one watches it (the best films resonate because of the phenomenon), but when some, essential piece to the story feels missing, that’s when something feels off about a movie.
I don’t want to end this review on a down note, however, even if I finished watching the movie on one. On the whole, Snyder remains a talent to watch (the fact that this film went from first shot-to-final cut in two weeks, as part of an “unofficial” challenge, is proof of Snyder’s skills as a filmmaker), and I love the images and sounds he brings forth in his films, which remind me why I’ve enjoyed discovering films from him and other “true indie” filmmakers over the years. As Scorsese said in “A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies,” “Less money, more freedom,” and whether the film succeeds as a whole or not, that freedom is reason enough to continue watching movies like Snyder’s, because in the end, it’s always going to be an intriguing experience.
