Whitewash (2013)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Lack of good storyline.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Although I thought this movie got a little tedious and that some of the plot elements didn't quite add up, I still found that it pulled me in right from the start and kept me intrigued throughout.It's basically a two person film with the fine actor Thomas Haden Church leading the way and starring as Bruce. He's been drinking heavily since his wife died a year before, while living in the Canadian wilderness. However, his livelihood as a snow plow driver has been shut down, as his license has been revoked for driving drunk and crashing into a restaurant.Marc Lebreche, as Paul, is the other major player here, and rather than write too many spoilers here I'll just say we learn a lot more about him as the film progresses. I can say that the movie opens with Paul running desperately through the snow covered streets of the town, while Bruce is shown driving his snow plow in a snowstorm with very poor visibility. Suddenly, we see the plow crashing straight on into Paul.Through flashbacks, we'll eventually learn how these two men got to the opening scenes, and it is quite a journey we're in store for. We'll also see what amounts to a wilderness survival story and a slow descent into madness, which, as mentioned can get a little tiresome, but still kept me quite engrossed.I thought this was quite a good effort for a directorial debut from Emanuel Hoss-Desmaris, who also co-wrote the script with first time screenwriter Marc Tulin.Overall, I felt this film had its' limitations, but I still found it to be an intriguing and engaging watch.

This is a film that has everything going for it - except a credible script. There are numerous aspects of the film that strain credulity, including the premise that a man would actually attempt suicide by attaching a hose to the tailpipe of his car, and then park it across the street from a grocery store (probably the only one in town, no less). The idea that a man with no outdoor survival skills could actually make it, day after day, week after week, and ultimately, year after year in the wilds of the Quebec wilderness is absurd. The concept of Church's character slowly disintegrating due to the guilt he feels because of the "accidental" killing of a newly made acquaintance, and the technique of using flashbacks to explain what is happening is really imaginative, but not new. Most of the acting is just adequate, with the exception of Church, who essentially carries the film on his back, despite a script that leaves a lot to be desired. He is perfectly cast, but the other actors are forgettable and really not very good. The music is a plus, as is the cinematography, which is really quite good. Bottom line: I'd love to see a remake of this film with more attention paid to details, something this version sorely lacked. If you like films involving intense psychological overtones, you might enjoy this one. But be warned: it's hardly perfect.

I had the pleasure of seeing Whitewash at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival or KVIFF for short. I went to see this film while knowing nothing about it because that is sometimes the way you see films at KVIFF. You buy a ticket and go see a film that you know nothing about. I strongly recommend going into a movie which you know nothing about because that way you can enjoy it much more.A snow plow operator accidentally runs over with his mini-plow a man walking on the street during a blizzard. That's all you need to know about this film's plot. What ensues after this accident is a the perfect blend of drama and black comedy. Surprisingly Thomas Haden Church's Bruce spends most of the movie hiding in his snow plow and trying to figure out what to do next. Thomas Hadden Church gives here the best performance of his life. Very minimalistic though but very gripping and funny. The film shows how physically demanding Bruce's survival is. (The story is set in Quebec, so the winter there is very harsh) Thomas Haden Church portrays a man who is unwilling to die even though he is doubting if living is worth the struggle. But all this can be told with a lot of humor, even if the situation wouldn't be funny in real life.After the screening there was a short Q&A session with the director Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais. He said that although the winter looks very harsh, during the time of the shoot the winter was very wimpy so they had to help themselves with a few special effects. After the Q&A session ended I went up to the director and asked him for an autograph and asked him if the Coen brothers was an influence on this film. The answer was: Of course! The guy seemed like a very sympathetic fellow and I look forward to seeing more of his work.

Whitewash, directed by Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais and co-written by Emanuel Hoss- Desmarais & Marc Tulin, is a dark comedy infused with the rigorous purity and deep character analysis that sustains the enduring artistry of cinema's masterworks.As in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, this tale is about a man and the regrettable killing he is responsible for while drunk. The two main characters (played by Thomas Haden Church and Marc Labrèche) plough forward as killer and victim become entangled in an increasingly hopeless predicament plagued with widespread wretchedness and despondency. The film is shot in the isolated forests of Quebec during the harsh of winter. The ideologically charged backdrop offers a feral setting in which the main characters, one French speaking and the other English speaking, seem to simply exist on screen. Their exchanges are simple and pure, dignified with an honest humor that inspires great sympathy for each of them and for the human condition at large. The movie ends with a climatic joke looking forward into an unwritten fourth act.