Winter Films - 7

So did you survive New Year’s Eve? Did you have a blast or did you hole up in your apartment and lament your lot in life? Whichever, it’s over. Another New Year’s has come and gone and it’s time to move on.

But for some characters, moving on isn’t possible—they can’t let go of the past and they’ll go to any lengths to right a wrong. Such a character is Hugh Glass in 2015’s The Revenant. Glass will endure whatever is thrown at him to track down John Fitzgerald, the man who betrayed him and left him for dead in the ice cold landscape. In some ways, Glass’s biggest weakness—being unable to let go of the incredible anger he feels toward Fitzgerald, is also his biggest strength, because when he’s beaten down by the ice and wind and snow to the point of near death, he keeps going. And what keeps him going? His anger, his desire for vengeance—that’s what warms his soul and fuels his determination.

Unlike a lot of films like last week’s When Harry Met Sally that rely on dialogue to help move the story along, The Revenant is pretty much devoid of dialogue—it’s all man against snow, man against cold, man trying to survive the worst that winter has to offer.

Seriously, you can watch this movie and feel physically cold, even if you’re on a beach in the Caribbean. It’s so incredibly realistic. Well, a fair number of cast and crew suffered from hypothermia in the making of the film, so I guess the film’s authentic feel came at a price.

But the amazing thing about this film is how very much winter is a character, an obstacle in and of itself to be overcome. Winter is relentless—it just keeps coming, seemingly no matter what you do. And you wonder if Glass will survive. And it’s tough to overcome something that seems so much bigger than you, but it can be done. As the film progresses, we’re rooting like crazy for Glass to be the one to do it.

So often in films winter is played for laughs—and, frankly, I think it’s more fun to play it for laughs. But it can also be amazing to stop laughing and see what an obstacle winter can be for a character, and The Revenant does that in spades.

As you think about how you might incorporate winter into your film, think about it being an obstacle. How could you make that happen? What kinds of characters and situations would you need in order for winter to become one of the strongest characters in your film?

And if you’re thinking about portraying winter as that chilly antagonist, look very carefully at The Revenant for clues to making that happen. And then, next week, let’s return to the lighter side of winter… all that bleakness, after all, can take its toll!

Copyright © Diane Lake

06Jan19

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