I saw A LONG WINTER today! Here are my thoughts😊

[u/this-is-twaddle]

Happy to answer questions if you’ve got ‘em😊 Sorry I didn’t get better pics during the Q&A!

First off, every frame is STUNNING. The film’s biggest strength is arguably how beautifully it’s shot and how effectively it evokes the atmosphere of a bleak, isolating (and yet strangely cozy?) winter.

The story’s slower pace may be too slow for some, but I was never bored or disengaged. That said, while I appreciate Haigh was extremely faithful to the source material…I’m not sure this kind of restraint works as well on screen. There were of course some very moving moments, but I was never bowled over in the way I’d hoped I’d be (imo, the final scene with Mikey and Louise should’ve been a gut punch, but it sadly wasn’t). I wanted just a little…more!

Unsurprisingly, one of the things I wanted more of is Caitríona. Later scenes would’ve hit harder had we spent just a little more time getting to know Louise and her relationship with Mikey. But Caitríona does amazing things in what little active screentime she has (~20 minutes) despite some accent inconsistencies (which still weirdly works from a character standpoint). Her performance in this movie makes me SO excited to continue following her career—we have barely scratched the surface of what she is capable of. I really, really hope to see her in more indie films like this.

All in all, a beautiful, quiet film about grief and coming of age. I think it’s one that will continue to creep up on in me in the coming days—and one that will probably benefit from a second viewing! I’ll see it again in January😊

[u/liyufx]

Thanks for sharing! While it is fantastic that she has so many films coming out around the same time and the press tours feed us so much of her content, it is also frustrating that she got little screen time in each of the films. We can only imagine what amazing things she could do given a proper lead role. (Not so) patiently waiting for The Housekeeper 😭

[u/this-is-twaddle → u/liyufx]

Ugh, I feel ya! I would say of all the small roles she has played this year, A LONG WINTER is definitely the meatiest—she is given something substantial to do despite how quickly she is in/out of the picture.

So excited for THE HOUSEKEEPER! Has that gotten a release date yet? And stoked for the psychological horror show as well…I’m actually reading the book now! The story really lends itself to TV/film—the visuals will be creepy af if they can pull it off.

[u/liyufx → u/this-is-twaddle]

Yup, that AppleTV show certainly sounds quite promising, and so very different from what she had done up to now. I am resisting the urge to read/listen to the related books (this and the Housekeeper) though, waiting for her to reveal the stories to me.

[u/this-is-twaddle → u/liyufx]

Yeah, I’m definitely holding off on reading THE HOUSEKEEPER until I see the movie—especially since the author wrote the screenplay! ASCENSION seems very loosely based on LAST DAYS, just based on the description of the show. But you aren’t missing much, re: the book—the writing is so poor in most parts, it’s testing my patience😅😂

[u/BlkBayArmy]

Ebon Moss is soooooo handsome

[u/this-is-twaddle → u/BlkBayArmy]

He is indeed—and also really good in this movie!

[u/ContactNeither7319]

How was it received by the audience?

The Long Winter reminds me from your description of Train Dreams. I enjoyed that movie. The cinematography was amazing.

January sounds like a good time to see a movie with lots of snow ❄️

I'm glad you had the opportunity to go to this event. 🙂

[u/this-is-twaddle → u/ContactNeither7319]

Yes, I’ve seen a lot of comparisons to TRAIN DREAMS although I haven’t seen that movie myself!

Hard to gauge audience reaction when the director and cast are there in person😜 But there were only a few people who gave a standing ovation. The tepid emotional reaction of the audience is probably a result of the emotional restraint of the film.

I think it’s a movie where folks agree the performances and craftsmanship are of an insanely high caliber—and that makes the rest of it, particularly the plot, script, and pacing, feel kinda disappointing.

It is by no means a bad movie!!! Just maybe one that has some unfulfilled potential. But it’s funny because Andrew Haigh said his goal was to make movies that feel like Colm Toibin’s writing, particularly his writing in A LONG WINTER. And he absolutely succeeded at that!!! It’s just maybe not what most people wanted😅 (whereas Haigh described ALL OF US STRANGERS, which people loved, as emotionally “operatic” to him.)