User Reviews

There are other overall comments; I thought I would comment on it from a 'quiet psychological drama' POV. As the different pairs of people (mother/bereaved daughter, son/girlfriend, boys, old women) developed their stories, and sometimes criss-crossed, I saw a growing pattern in how they all dealt with their existential lone-ness and lack of drive. The fun but seemingly insignificant (at first) retired ladies hold the key the others seem to echo each in their own way: that if you have a friend, a journey of discovery, and something (or someone) to care for, you can grow in hard conditions, and move on. There are even almost mythical scenes of epiphany about this theme, but I don't know whether Rickmann or MacDonald intended this beautiful mythological pattern to answer the existential crises we face in modern times, but the richness and depth the characters grow into by the end of the film is something that really hit me. A fascinating study that follows the characters so carefully as to teach you things about yourself. Put this in your medicine cabinet for prompt temporary relief of existential despair. If they can find warmth in that bitter chill, there's hope for us too. Not for you if action movies are your thing, of course!

Meets my standard for 'movies that improved my life'.

The Winter Guest (1997)

This has the depth and studious pace and multi-pronged construction of a good play. Which it once was. And like many plays turned to cinema, this carries along some first rate dramatic acting, namely by Emma Thompson and her real life mother, Phyllida Law, playing mother and daughter. As a small twist, the playwright, Sharman Macdonald, is mother to someone else we know, actress Keira Knightley.

The scene is a forlorn village in the dead of winter on a Scottish coast. We are shown the first turn of innocent love, a pair of boys playing with the edges of right and wrong, a pair of old woman touching on what death looks like if not felt, and the mother daughter pair who deal with a little of everything. Including photography, which serves as a classic artist's release, a way to take you out of your head and into what is out there in front of you.

Don't expect action, or even any great surprising turn of events. At first I went along with the slow, beautiful pace thinking it was all building to something. And I suppose it was, after all, but nothing that will shock you. It's better than that, and more real, and more touching. The movie and play are both quite good, lacking the finesse and originality of the most amazing works around us, drawing even from Ibsen or Chekhov in the realism and power of very ordinary people in faraway places. The acting is tremendous within the cool dry restraints of the plot, and in fact might make more the the play than is there. If you like a bit of reality without sensation, but just tenderness and meaning, this will work.

Four interconnecting stories: The main one being a woman argues with her elderly, busybody mum about a possible move to Australia for her and her son after the untimely death of her hubby. Meanwhile, said teen has his first sexual experience with a girl who's been stalking him for months. Also on the agenda are two boys adventures while playing truant from school, and a couple of old friends taking a coach ride to attend a funeral. All this is set in the template of a very wintry Scotland, where even the sea has frozen over.

A slow burning meditation on life among different generations, it manages to be quietly moving without having to resort to overdramatising. All of these people FEEL real, and their segments are each satisfying in their own way, even interlinking at certain points. As a demonstration in acting its a masterclass, with special honours reserved for Phyllida Law as the overbearing, interfering mother from Hell. Probably not a classic, but gratifying enough. And the beautiful white landscape is a star all by itself.. 6/10

For his debut as a film director, Alan Rickman has chosen material with which he is very familiar. The Winter Guest is a play he commissioned and directed on the stage before adapting it for the screen in collaboration with playwright Sharman Macdonald. Rickman's familiarity with the material and his considerable experience of working in front of the camera seem to have prepared him well for the making of an exceptional film.

Emma Thompson plays Frances, a photographer whose husband has recently died after a long illness, leaving her to raise a teenaged son. Frances and Alex are visited by Elspeth, Frances' mother (played by Thompson's mother, Phyllida Law). Frances cannot find direction in her life and has surrounded herself with the photographic record of her husband and his illness. Elspeth, whose health is failing, cannot rely on the support of a daughter who is unable even to care for herself. Alex is caught between memories of his father and an emotionally absent mother. On the coldest day in memory, the sea around this remote Scottish village, like the lives of Frances and those she loves, has frozen as far as the eye can see.

Together, cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and production designer Robin Cameron Don, have created an environment for the story which mirrors the desolate emotional world in which the characters find themselves. The colours are muted to the point that the film sometimes seems to have been shot in black and white, with only tones of grey to give it texture. Some shots are composed with a rigid symmetry, others with a sweeping, aerial freedom. This contrast is timed to echo the themes of dependency between parent and child, the purpose of Death and grieving, and the tension between the emotion and the intellect.

Rickman uses cinematic devices like a veteran. His symbols and recurring motifs of water, fire, and even fur, are used to considerable effect throughout. So too, does he use narrative techniques. Two truant school boys, not originally connected with Frances and her mother, are drawn into their story and used as contrast. In their narcissistic search for pleasure and adventure, they depict the base side of life against Frances' cold intellectual remoteness. Nita, a young woman with romantic designs on Alex, is almost able to draw him out with her passionate attitudes and her aggressive, juvenile, almost animalistic desires. Chloe and Lily, two elderly women of the village whom we meet as they wait for a bus to take them to a funeral, demonstrate the constant presence of death and how it can be embraced and normalised. They pore over obituaries and discuss the rituals of death with a mundane, child-like preoccupation. Their closeness further develops the themes of dependency and need.

Some may find the restraint of the film difficult to endure. Characters seem ever on the edge of lashing out or breaking down. There is a contained energy at work which is only seldom evident in their actions. This restraint is deliberate. It becomes the central motif in the film's construction. The story is about the frictions which exist between what we need and what we can give, between parent and child, between passion and logic, life and death. The performances are tight and restrained because the characters, in their efforts to understand and adapt, must be also.

The Winter Guest is an excellent film. Rickman uses visual, auditory and narrative techniques like a veteran. There are tremendous performances by all; especially Law (Elspeth) , Arlene Cockburn (Nita) and Sean Biggerstaff (Tom). A wonderful capture of atmosphere and production design is enhanced by exemplary cinematography and held together by an intelligent, controlled and dramatically charged script.

This may be the best movie I have ever seen. The fake snow got on my nerves, otherwise it was an excellent production. The cast was remarkable. Each actor played their parts without fault. The story kept growing and growing and ended beautifully. I found this film had the best camera-work of any movie that I have seen. Turn your phone off, and don't answer the door. You'll love this movie if you are fan of great story-lines.

First I wanna mention the music of TWG by Michael Kamen. I was shocked to find that he had passed away in 2003 from the Academy Awards "In Memoriam". He poetically and gracefully used the simple piano music in TWD, which led the audience go into the alienated world with warm spirit.

I have to admit that I bought this film because I'm a Rickman fan. I was just curious about his first & only film directing. It's adapted from the play by Sharman Macdonald, who also worked on the film script with Alan. In 1997's Chicago Film Festival,TWD even "beat" talented Ming-liang Tsai's "The River", awarded with the Golden Hugo.In my opinion, there's no such thing as "win " or "lose" in a film festival. But this fact also pushed me to see TWD.

I can't say there's nothing awkward in TWD. The way they edited the film, say, is not smooth enough; it just kept on reminding me that it's adapted from a play. But also, the off-screen voice was well-used in a few scenes. For instance, Alex told the girl Nita about the love between his Mom & Dad(after he found the house seemed to be "haunted"), overlapped with her mom Frances'(Emma Thompson) breakdown on the mountain.

They also perfecly made the opening scene of Mom & Daughter. Mom is walking and cleaning the house; the Daughter stays in the bathroom to keep herself away from Mom's nagging. They dialogued in this way. We can clearly see how they get along. Not too friendly, but caring for each other. You can find Frances grieve over sth, in her private space. Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey("The Hours", "The Wit") was so great that he captured some dignity or beauty of life in his long take. I particularly like the scene when Frances held her mother's hand to climb up the hill. Suddenly her mother revealed some part of her fragility. The wall that she supported with also rubbed her hand, along with her nagging and France's silence, this long-take would be such a memorable moment for this film. The high-angle shot of the bus in the field, what can I say, just tells what I mean of "dignity of life". Two old women took the bus to attend a funeral. You never knew where life is going to take you.

It's a story of "4 pairs of people". It's important to emphasize on this form the scriptwriters took. While too many films talked about the loneliness of modern people, TWD walked the other way to present life itself. People in TWD may not really be able to understand each other; at least they have a company to walk on the slippery road.

Being as a actor-turned-director(especially a British actor), Rickman gave lots of space for the cast. I hope he can direct more. Some places need to be improved, but still Bravo for Mr. Rickman's heart-warming debut.

Alan Rickman has made a breathtakingly beautiful, haunting movie that sucks you in and won't let you go until long after the credits have finished rolling. The story centers on four couples: a mother and her grieving adult daughter, her son and the girl who takes a fancy to him, two young teenage boys going through all the troubles of puberty, and two old ladies with nothing left to do but attend funerals. Their stories are intervowen, against the backdrop of a gorgeous Scottish winter landscape, which is threatening to take over and swallow them whole. They all have to find their paths in life, realize what's important and what's worth living for.

The pace of this movie is very slow, so granted, it's not for everyone. But if you like your movies bittersweet, with reality seeping out of every pore, then this is a film for you.

The Winter Guest (1997) -

Not really knowing what to expect, I had thought that with Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman involved, this film should at the very least be not bad, but I never can tell with actors turned Directors or left to their own devices too much, so it was a real pleasure to find, after an initial questioning of what was to come from some odd beginnings, that both Alan and Emma, with the help of her Mum Phyllida delivered a lovely little film that was full of charming wit.

Mother and daughter playing the same parts here were awesome. Emma (Frances) delivered a fantastically dramatic performance filled with angst and uncertainty, while Phyllida (Elspeth) offered more of the comic relief in the form of everyone's slightly nutty Mum or Granny.

There was an eclectic mix of other characters depicted over the course of a day, some more successfully incorporated than others.

I wasn't particularly bothered by the connection between Frances' Son, Alex (Gary Hollywood) and Nita (Arlene Cockburn). It was hard to quantify the gay hairdresser Dino from 'Mrs Brown's Boys' (2011-9) as the horny teenager Alex in this production.

Perhaps this was the experience that turned him? Because let's face it, Nita was a bit butch and more than a little aggressive.

The two young lads bunking off of school were very funny though. The subjects that they discussed were hilarious. Sean Biggerstaff in the role of Tom and Douglas Murphy as Sam acted exactly how I remember acting when I was their age.

I almost felt that if their story had continued as part of a soap, they would probably have found love together, because their bond and relationship seemed so much more than just the usual lads banter. I liked the endearing way that they looked after each other, as well as the usual teasing that all kids can't resist.

Not a lot happened in the end, but there was something beautiful about the film overall.

It seemed to be a representation of the stages of life, shown through the different sources depicted and in some ways I thought that it was trying to show the beauty in life, if only you stop to look for it.

I did wonder if the "Winter Guest" was Elspeth's potential Alzheimers? An uninvited guest in her winter years? Or whether it was more literal than that, as each of the cast seemed to have someone turn up in their lives on that one Winters day, welcome or otherwise. The exception being the two old dears, Lily and Chloe (Sheila Reid and Sandra Voe) as the uninvited guests. Their little contribution was fun and reminded me of the characters of 'Take The High Road' (1980-2003) or the gossipy women of Agatha Christie's works.

I also liked the appropriate and simple piano soundtrack. It was certainly complimentary and added to the feelings of sadness and at other times light.

In many ways this was an uplifting film that tickled with comedy, whilst also making me think, but it was very melancholy too and trying to understand how I felt when it was done was difficult. Having had a week or so to think about it since, I've realised that it was a joy, like an old song that makes me cry because of the memories it evokes, but also makes me laugh, because the lyrics are stupid or out of date.

I definitely recommend this as one to watch, but don't start out with high expectations, let it win you over.

729.33/1000.

A beautiful ordinary story. A film made of long silences and unheard incessant talk. Of painful memories and hopeful looks. Of attending funerals as social occasions. Of unexpressible love. Of a beautifully photographed gray Scottish landscape.

Emma Thomson and Phyllida Law deliver powerful performances, although the incredibly poetic early teen Sam and Tom almost steal the movie.

When you are tired of idiotic movies that look all the same, go see or rent this one. Highly recommended.

This was a great disappointment. The actors are obviously very capable, and this is clear from their delivery. The cinematography does make for some stunning and beautiful images. But despite this the completed film is a failure. Much of this is due to the script: this is terrible. The conversations are stilted and unreal. This is in keeping with the story line which is contrived and forced. The end result is a feeling that everything is artificial and, I hate to say it, pretentious. All the standard artistic stereotypes are here which, alas, is the coup de gras as it removes the film from its only real positive the beautiful and interesting community where it is set.

This film is one of those small but delicious productions in modern european film industry that makes it worth to continue going to the cinema. It is the film version of a Scottish theatre production, that did run with the same basic cast.

There is no main plot. It is the summing up of four basic stories which are somewhat interwoven, describing the relationships between very different human beings.

The Scottish winter, framing all the story, is almost a character of its own. You can almost sense the ice, the intense coldness around the characters, but you altogether feel the warmth of human emotions.

The actors are all outstanding in their characters. Above all others, Phyllida Law and Emma Thompson (real life mother and daughter) give a very powerful performance, portraying a depressed recent widow and her energetic and controlling mother: really a charming old lady.

The great Alan Rickman's direction is in my opinion a very good job, bringing all the different stories together and making a magnificent choral film.

I eagerly look forward to his next attempt in directorial tasks.

"The Winter Guest" is a beautifully filmed nothing of a story. As though on a carousel, the camera revolves around four pairs of people in an icy rural coastal place in Scotland, providing glimpses into their lives as it passes by in near real time. The absence of a story begs the question, why would one watch this film when they could be watching more interesting events simply by looking at their own lives? The answer is probably "art for art's sake".

You sit down to watch The Winter Guest. The scene opens. You see Emma Thompson. You start waiting for things to happen, for something to pull you in. You wait, and wait, and wait . . . . Unfortunately, The Winter Guest never does anything. Four story lines about four pairs of characters meander along, never coming together plotwise or themewise. Perhaps the director, Alan Rickman, assumed things would just naturally fall together; however, it takes a guiding hand to make things happen. Nothing ever does in this misguided effort.

First of all, the exquisite beauty of this film is mute evidence of the artistic background of the director, Alan Rickman, who was a graphics designer before he became an actor. The iciness and vastness of the frozen Scottish sea coast made me shiver in summer when I first saw it. The kids' conversation about genitalia was funny, and having had 5 children, I never knew they dropped.

Emma Thompson and her mother had a great interaction.which is so appropriate, as it shows both the love and the friction that goes on between mother and daughter who are so much alike. This is the major story line, with the subtexts occurring between the boys and between the old ladies intent on attending funerals, as they approach their own 'going away party'.

It is an unusually visually attractive film and certainly not a formulaic dialogue. I recommend it to anyone with a brain and an eye for beauty. Alice Copeland Brown

A great first effort at directing by Alan Rickman. Emma Thompson is, as usual, great as the widow coming to grips with the death of her husband and his memory. Lots of chat, but that's okay as it's all entertaining.

When you break it down, life comes in stages; not just stages of development, but stages that can last for a moment, an hour, a day-- or indefinitely. And they come unbidden and unannounced, like an uninvited guest that drops by and burrows into your very soul to ferret out the deepest hopes, dreams, needs and desires which-- consciously or subconsciously-- are a part of everyone who draws a breath upon the planet. In spring, that guest may bring the joy of rebirth and life; in winter, it may bring a reflection of need and confusion, a feeling of loneliness and loss, the desperation of uncertainty or even despair, all born in that seemingly endless moment of searching and seeking out that elusive and intangible something that lies ahead, just out of reach. The winter guest you can neither refuse nor turn away that is desolation of spirit; a visitor to whom we are introduced in `The Winter Guest,' directed by Alan Rickman.

It's an especially cold February in a small village on the coast of Scotland; even the ocean is frozen for as far as the eye can see. And in the harsh wind that blows in from that frozen sea, we find Frances (Emma Thompson), a woman who has lost her husband, and visited by the winter of indecision is held fast in her confusion, unable to move on with her life. There to help her find the warmth of spring is Elspeth (Phyllida Law), her mother, who needs Frances as much as Frances needs her, though neither can find a way to break through the chill that has engulfed their souls. Then there is Alex (Gary Hollywood), Frances's son, still in school, but on the brink of maturity awaiting on the other side of his own winter, a taste of which he samples in the form of Nita (Arlene Cockburn), a local girl who takes a fancy to him.

Before it's through, the winter guest will visit others, as well; those in every stage of life. At one end of the spectrum are Lily and Chloe (Sheila Reid and Sandra Voe), elderly friends who seem to stave off the inevitable by attending funerals. At the other end are Sam and Tom (Douglas Murphy and Sean Biggerstaff), boys on the cusp of adolescence, who during their visit will learn that being of a like age does not put them at the same stage of life. And as the story unfolds, in each relationship a different stage of life is revealed and examined, and we see the effects of this winter guest on each.

Written by Rickman and Sharman Macdonald (adapted from Macdonald's play), this film is a study in contrasts, a pensive portraiture of life; sparse and reflective, Rickman captures in it the human condition at it's most fragile, and therein finds beauty. He uses the original music (written and performed by Michael Kamen) sparingly, opting instead for the sound of the wind, the cry of the gulls overhead or just a backdrop of silence to underscore the dialogue and the drama of the story, all to great effectiveness. By so doing, he allows the drama to speak for itself, to play out thoughtfully and in such a way that the audience is drawn in and included, very reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman's style, though perhaps a bit more wistful at times. And Rickman allows so many wonderfully telling moments in this film: The young boy, Tom, looking out at the vast frozen ocean that seemingly extends on and on forever, as if he is looking out upon his own life, which even now is extending on ahead of him, forever; or Frances, looking out upon that same ocean, a frozen sea reaching out into the unknown, even as her own life is moving on toward an unknown destination; Sam, the same age as Tom, yet younger, watching from the shore, not yet ready and therefore unable to follow as Tom ventures out into the mists that cover the frozen waters. And there's more: Alex and Nita embracing their passion; Chloe, falling and grabbing hold of a railing for support, then finally reaching out to Lily; Elspeth and Tom, sitting together on a rock and sharing a moment at the shore; Frances taking Elspeth by the arm and helping her. All moments that are profound in their simplicity, and all wonderfully presented by Rickman, with not only the eye, but the heart, of a true artist.

Phyllida Law gives an especially engaging performance as Elspeth, as does Voe as Chloe; and Biggerstaff and Murphy are a delight to watch as Tom and Sam. But the lovely Emma Thompson steals the show as Frances, with a superb, introspective and reserved performance that is entirely captivating. She successfully conveys that deepest yearning that so readily identifies the winter into which Frances has entered in her soul, and her scenes with Law (her real life mother) are a subtle expression of reality, and a joy to behold. But again, it's the prolonged moments of silence--created and staged so well by Rickman-- that are beguiling, and say so much about who Frances really is. it's such a treat to find a film in which the director is wise enough and so willing to allow enough time for his performer to do what she does best-- as Rickman did with Thompson here-- the positive impact of which is certainly evident in the depth of Thompson's portrayal of Frances.

The supporting cast includes Tom Watson (Minister) and Alan Rickman (Man in the Street). Rickman found beauty in the bleak, frozen landscape of that small, Scottish village, then translated it so well into a representation of those troubling and disorienting transitional periods that can visit us at any given stage of our lives. And, combined with his artistic eye and insight into human nature, it makes `The Winter Guest' a film to be embraced and cherished. It's an experience you'll long remember. 9/10.

Unless you love depressing, slice-of-live British movies, you probably won't like The Winter Guest. Emma Thompson and her mother Phyllida Law play a bickering mother-daughter pair with deep seated issues that never get brought up or resolved. It's always clear there are some huge issues, like Phyllida's trembling hand or Emma covering her ears when her mother talks, but like most slice-of-life movies, we don't see the decades of hurt that led to those moments.

In another plot point, two pre-teen boys, Sean Biggerstaff and Douglas Murphy talk while sitting outside in the middle of the snow. Doug is mostly interested in a little kitten, who probably wants to go inside where it's warm as much as the audience wants the boys to do the same. Sean rants on and on about the frustrations he has with his hormones and changing body. It's extremely awkward to listen to, but one can only imagine how awkward it was for him to say such exposing things in front of the camera. This really isn't a feel-good movie, but instead a very heavy family drama. Alan Rickman stands behind the camera this time around, but if look really hard, you can find him in a cameo. I blinked and missed it. Unless you really want to see Emma Thompson bickering with her mother, you might want to pick out something lighter for this evening.

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to adult subject matter, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

Since it's an import I saw this one in 1998 and my movie years do not correspond well to the calendar ones, still a great movie all the same. Visually enchanting with a splendidly written dialogue - I caught myself thinking once or twice during the movie - "What a wonderfully insane script!" Having watched it twice in a row I got a thick Scottish accent as an added benefit. 10 out of 10 in my book.

The only interesting thing about this dreary and pretentious piece of artsy-fartsy crap is the fact that Emma Thompson looks so much like her mother. This film is an especially egregious example of the arty-pretentious film perhaps best exemplified by "The Accidental Tourist." It moves at a glacial pace, has slow piano music on the soundtrack, and above all tries oh so hard to be "sensitive." You could probably find a better use of two hours by doing almost anything else, including staring at a wall.

Like any great film, this is close to the essence of life. In four poetic,

hearthwarming scenes, different generations of characters are entangled in a

longing for protection and affection. Two woman wait at a bus stop for a day out to a funeral, but behind their apparent, casual view on death lies a hidden fear for their own end. A new girl in town chases after a local boy, both search

through their mutual attraction towards each other. Two schoolboys are playing near the frozen sea and talk about their future. And all this is bound by the main story of a mother-daughter relationship. From the first flight over the seascape, to the final scene with one of the boys walking into the mist, everything is filmed and directed with the same sense for intense images and esthetic realism. And when on the tones of Liz Fraser, lovingly singing the end-credits, the film

ends.....and there's a certain sadness that one already has to leave this beautiful universe behind. "The Winter guest" is again (if their ever was doubt) the prove how superior European cinema is compared to the Hollywood-counterpart. I rest my case.

Don't know about you, but i just loved the movie. It was very interesting to discover Alan Rickman as a Director - and i wasn't disappointed with the result in any way. First, the 'structure' of the movie: tiny episodes from every plot line, their gentle crossing with each other. Then, these plot lines themselves - i found them pictured with more subtlety and tenderness than i had believed possible.

What struck me most was the teenage boys' behaviour. Or, to be more precise, the abrupt change in both of them - from cigarettes, swearing, and all this genitals-related speech to the sudden gentle manner when they find and adopt baby kittens. Is it how we grow up? Does it only take a helpless creature, who has nothing and no-one to depend on, to step towards maturity? Frances' (Emma Thompson) drama about her lost husband expresses silent grief, which is more felt than seen from her performance. Her mother Elspeth (Phyllida Law), adds even more emotion to it. While usual movies concentrate on showing the 'action', here the very sight of Elspeth's slow journey towards her daughter's house speaks volumes. What can we learn from her? That old age cannot be fought? Or, that the journey to another soul is long and winding? or both?..

The other two plot lines are magnificent as well. I won't delve into every single moment that made me shudder, for everyone finds their own special episodes. What i can say is that the movie didn't leave any dazzling impressions. No vivid flashbacks. Only a feeling of winter silently creeping into our souls and staying there for long. Not the freezing, icy season. But the feeling of a thick blanket of snow. The thrill you get when you hear snow crackling beneath your feet. The strange yet peaceful emotion when witnessing the earth sleep.

Who is the winter guest? Alan Rickman has been asked about it in some interview. He said he didn't know it himself. It might be death, however. Who is the winter guest for every one of us? Death, which comes alien and unexpected. Winter, bringing sleep and slumber into our ordinary lives. Grief, which covers our hearts with ice. Life, which stirs beneath the layers of ice and snow. Different for each and every one. The movie is leaving much space to insert your own emotions and feelings. To accept your own, personal winter guest. I have learned to accept mine.

This movie isn't quite what I expected when I started watching it. My intension was to get through the evening with something to do, like watching this movie. But it really got to me, I couldn't really sleep that night. This is absolutely the best film I've ever seen and a must for those who like relationship movies.

As an actor Alan Rickman is able to pick a good script when he sees one , but as a director he fails with THE WINTER GUEST . This is a totally tedious film with no plot and consists entirely of actors standing around bedrooms or in streets or on windswept shores or sitting on buses talking about things of absolutely no importance to me . Yes the scenary is beautiful but so`s the view outside my window and who wants to spend two hours looking out their window ?