White Bird in a Blizzard (2014)

White Bird in a Blizzard tells the story of Katrina Connors (Shailene Woodley) and her family. Kat is a young woman growing up in a suburban neighborhood in the late 80s. Kat comes home from school one day to find that her mother, Eve (Eva Green,) has mysteriously disappeared. Her father, Brock (Christopher Meloni,) calls the police and they begin an investigation. While Brock seems devastated by the loss of his wife, Kat remains strangely unmoved. As the film unfolds, Kat recalls her mother’s odd behavior and the events leading up to her disappearance.

Kat simultaneously struggles with her budding sexuality, her feelings about her mother, and her relationships with boyfriend Phil (Shiloh Fernandez) as well as her father. All of these elements become intertwined as we learn more about Eve and Brock’s strained marriage and the tension it brings into Kat’s world.

The movie is a essentially a series of out-of-sequence flashbacks and vignettes detailing life in the Connors’ household. Most of the film is from Kat’s perspective, but we’re shown some events that she couldn’t possibly have seen. Dream sequences — from which the film derives its name — sprinkle some symbolism into the mix as well. In Kat’s eyes, Eve is a cold, resentful woman. A once-beautiful creature caged by her marriage to her doormat of a father, who Kat describes as “a wimp.” Even though the film revolves around the mystery of Eve’s disappearance, its main focus is the effect it has on Kat.

White Bird in a Blizzard was written for the screen and directed by Gregg Araki, based on a novel by Laura Kasischke. There’s a dreamlike quality to the production. While taking place in the late 80s and early 90s, nothing looks like it belongs in that time period. The interiors look as if they were furnished sometime between the 1950s and the 1970s. Eve’s daily wardrobe hasn’t been updated since the 1960s. Only the music Kat listens to is period-appropriate. Heavy helpings of early alternative fare like Depeche Mode and the Cocteau Twins dominate the atmospheric soundtrack.

The film’s oddball construction attempts to mask a story that’s anything but unpredictable. In fact, it’s not until the final few minutes that the script unveils a genuine plot twist. By then, though, it feels like a desperation move so audiences would walk away with something to talk about. Aside from Eva Green’s truly wackadoodle portrayal of Eve’s descent into madness, there’s not much to recommend. A solid cast of supporting actors, including Angela Bassett and Thomas Jane, aren’t given much to work with at all in small roles.

Shailene Woodley’s performance saves the film from simply being an exercise in style over substance. While her character’s motivations aren’t always clear, Woodley perfectly embodies the awkward transition from teen to adult. Sadly, that’s not enough to salvage a recommendation.