Smilla's Sense of Snow 1997, Rated R

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Starring Julia Ormond, et al.

Ed. Note: Generally speaking, we try to publish full-length reviews of movies that coincide with something relatively current, be it a new DVD or video release or other tie-in. We had first wanted to publish our review of Smilla's Sense of Snow last November, but decided to pass, reasoning that we should wait until the dead of summer to print this critique in order to capitalize on the icy cool production values of the film. However, in an ironic turn of events, it just hasn't been very hot this summer in Chicago, and our whole reason for not publishing this review last winter became moot. For our part, we are hoping that the heat index reaches 120 sometime soon so that our rationale for waiting to print this review will make a little more sense. —JC

Chicago is a city of extremes. Walking east on Jackson in February, over piles of snow, avoiding the patches of ice, with the winds coming off the lake whistling by your nearly frost-bitten ears, not many people are in a position to discuss how hot it will get during the beginning of July, just five short months down the road. And conversely, while sampling food at the Taste of Chicago, preparing for fireworks and barbecues, not many people are in a position to discuss Chicago's Christmas season... another five short months in the future. The trick to dealing with Chicago's extreme seasons is a balance of warm and cold, together. Granted, there is no way we can finagle an 80 degree day in December or a 35 degree day in July (although global warming is trying its best), but there are still measures one can take... namely a trip to Arizona or Alaska at the appropriate times.

However, since weekend trips to Alaska in July and August aren't exactly practical for most of us, may I suggest the cooling effects of watching director Bille August's 1997 film, Smilla's Sense of Snow.

Adapted from Peter Hoeg's novel, Smilla's Sense of Snow is the story of Smilla Jasperson (Julia Ormond), a half-Inuit, half-American woman living in Denmark. As one might gather from the title, Smilla has a fantastic ingrown knowledge about ice, snow and other cold weather phenomenons that she gained and cultivated during her childhood in Greenland.

Walking home from work one day, Smilla arrives at her apartment to find her downstairs neighbor's 6 year old son, Isaiah, dead; a death that is ruled an apparent suicide. Disagreeing with the pronouncement of the police report, Smilla begins to investigate Isaiah's death and uncovers a far-reaching conspiracy involving a mysterious object the researchers at Greenland Mining Company discovered in, of all places, Greenland.

Smilla's Sense of Snow is first and foremost a mystery, complete with deceitful, backstabbing characters and situations that are taught and filled with edge-of-your-seat, adrenaline-rushing energy. In order to make the most of these production elements and the story, director August made a conscious decision to keep the tone and feel of the on-screen material the same throughout the film. (Granted, this is something that most directors aim to do when coming on to a project, but, when the film is finished, this goal isn't always met in a fashion that is noticeable on-screen, that permeates every shot in the movie).

Shot on location in Denmark, Greenland and on the North Sea during the Christmas season, the production is ripe with whites, values of grey and deep, icy blues; trying to find a bright color like a vibrant orange or yellow in Smilla's Sense of Snow is all but an effort in futility.

Fitting in perfectly with this tone is Smilla's caustic, cold demeanor.

Based on her work in First Knight and Sabrina, Ormond didn't give anyone much of an indication that she was capable of delivering a powerful and emotional performance as a strong and self-sufficient woman. However, this is precisely what she does here.

At first, I likened Ormond's portrayal of Smilla to that of Sharon Stone's Catherine Woolf in Basic Instinct and Linda Fiorentino's Bridget Gregory in The Last Seduction, two female characters who seemingly had an answer to every situation and always seemed in control of their environment. But, as the film wore on, I saw that this was a hasty pronouncement. Smilla embodied the strong, powerful, driven elements of Woolf and Gregory but had a softer and more realistically vulnerable side as well, something that neither of the other vixens could lay claim to.

And the refreshing presence of a fiercely strong, independent female lead character was what set Smilla's Sense of Snow apart from the majority of other releases in the '90's.

August's style of direction involving a wide array of interesting camera angles and perspective shots suits the script material well, and from the heart pounding opening onward I was positively captivated by this film.

Before screening this film, I had no idea what to expect: good or bad, hokey or original or whether it would be formulaic or not. One thing I definitely did not expect though was to view one of the best thrillers of the '90's.