Contrived, sometimes manipulative melodrama with low-key comedic elements attempts to tug at the heartstrings but doesn´t always ring true.
Alan Rickman stars as Alex Hughes, introverted man with a troubled past (‘I killed a man,´ he mentions at the beginning, though this is never elaborated on till the end) who gives a lift to young hitchhiker Vivienne (Emily Hampshire, who´s excellent).
Tragedy strikes in the form of a fatal car crash, leaving Emily dead and Alex grieving; he tracks down her mother Linda (Sigourney Weaver) in an attempt to share his grief, but instead finds an autistic woman who doesn´t seem to fully comprehend the death of her daughter.
Carrie Ann-Moss also enters the mix, as a sympathetic neighbor whom Alex becomes attracted to.
Of course, as Alex sticks around to aid Linda during the funeral, she helps to soothe his troubled soul as well.
Heartfelt on one hand, saccharine and manipulative on the other; your emotional resistance to this kind of material will be put to the test.
Nicely filmed, with some beautiful snow-covered Canadian landscapes.
Rickman and Weaver give fine performances, but that´s all they are; the actors never truly disappear into their roles, and we never quite forget who we´re watching on the screen.
It´s something like Garden State meets I Am Sam; if you liked either of those films, you´ll probably like this one, too.
