The Winter Guest

At the Venice Film Festival, " . . . Some jury members regretted that the one competition film from Britain, "The Winter Guest", a directorial debut by the actor Alan Rickman, managed to get no official prize. As a stealthy, poetic exploration of mortality and human communications set in a wintry Scottish fishing village, it deserved and won three unofficial awards."
The Economist, 13 September, 1997

Photo courtesy of Stezi.

Please note Mr. Rickman co-wrote The Winter Guest with Sharman McDonald, and directed but does not appear as an actor in this film.

Let us not forget the young lovers, the two old ladies, and especially the two little boys, each with his kitten, there at the ocean's edge.

What I have the awfullest problem with is the ending for these two kids. They are friends - they have each other - and now each has a kitten, someone besides himself to look after. What I absolutely hate is that the one boy walks out onto the ice and disappears...are we to believe that such is the end of his short life? As these kids are so young, I really wanted the other boy to yell at him and , if need be, to go out there and get him before it is too late, before he breaks through the thin ocean ice and drowns. It would have made a great statement about friendship and the value of LIVING.

We are all handed tough things in Life. The thing to do is to deliberately find People, and Causes to believe in and Reasons to go on Living. And to kick in the ass those things that do maim or kill our Life Forces.

So there it is. Nice to have had my say on this matter, and I hope this gets back to Mr. Rickman.

My thanks M. Tabbalynx for her review. Please note I'm not in contact with Mr. Rickman or his representatives, but would be honored to have them visit this site.

Reviewed by Stezi, 2 April, 1998

Alan's first film as a director (it was a play first in Almeida's Theatre in London in 1995). He really turned this stage play into an artistic winter tale, where you can almost feel the cold. Seagulls flying in a white winter sky, above a frozen sea, you follow them to a little Scottish village on one frosty winter day.....

Frances lives with her 17 years old son in a quiet village. Her mother visits her one day while she is taking a bath. Her mother is talking to her, but she's not really listening. Elspeth (her mother) disapproves of the way her daughter is living. Frances is unable to get over the death of her husband. She also has cut her hair, which Elspeth doesn't like at all. Elspeth finds the camera she wants Frances to take pictures with. After a confusing conversation the both of them go for a walk on the frozen beach. Francis takes even pictures of two boys, who didn't go to school that day (and more days!). The two boys took cigarettes, so they smoke secretly, telling each other strange stories, exploring the almost deserted beach. Two older ladies are sitting near the bus stop, gossiping, quarreling about tiny things of life. They discover later they really are a team, in spite of their little misunderstandings and they have to take care of each other.

Frances wanted to go to Australia, but decides not to move and to stay here, spending more time with her mother, although they don't need each other, as they both say..... Life is coming back to Frances.

It's a very beautiful film to watch, full of coloured feelings, warm and tender, cold and distant, young and old, but true, human and real.....

An artistic trip into all shades of emotions.

I enjoyed it very much.

Stezi