By Sevyn Michaela-Rose, Photo courtesy of Choice Films
The opening shot of “The Winter House’,” directed by Keith Boynton, reveals a desolate New Hampshire landscape in the middle of winter. A wood of pine trees encloses the field where a quaint cottage house sits. It’s a lonely image. Cold. As the film goes on, it’s evident that the season of winter is an instrument that almost becomes a character of its own among the two leads, Eileen and Jesse.
The story begins with Eileen, a middle-aged woman who rents a house in a small town as a means to escape. It’s obvious she’s struggling with some kind of inner turmoil as she ominously debates whether or not she should burn a pink letter addressed to her. Or when she slowly pulls a gun from the bottom of her bag when she first unpacks. The most revealing moment, though, is when she decides not to take her gun downstairs at the sound of an intruder. This last instance begs the question of why she has a gun if not to defend herself? Is there something deeper? Darker?
The intruder is a young man named Jesse. He claims to be the son of the couple from whom Eileen is renting the house. Not completely believable, but Eileen finds him harmless enough to let him stay the night. It’s also clear to see that she likes his playful humor and good-natured spirit. As hilarious banter and vulnerable conversations unfold between these lonely individuals, they find solace and hope in each other. We discover that Eileen is grieving the loss of a husband who ended their 25-year marriage with a note; Jesse is a recovering addict trying to find solid footing in a town that keeps reminding him of his past.
Eileen and Jesse move toward each other like magnets. Eileen challenges the borderline alcoholic to acknowledge his self-worth and Jesse tells Eileen she’s an “Ice queen bitch.” It’s his way of telling her that she needs to melt her metaphorical walls if she ever wants to feel love again. Their bond is kinetic and warm, humorous and real. Lili Taylor and François Arnaud bring such depth and authenticity to the screen.
“The Winter House” is an homage to the power of human connection. It’s a story about loneliness, isolation and the complexity of the human soul to feel at its end, against all logic, to still fight for its place in the world. It’s a story that came at a perfect time considering that most of us are processing the isolating experience of quarantine. This film serves as a beacon of hope. The opening wide shot of the winter landscape perfectly juxtaposes the warmth that is found between Eileen and Jesse. The film is saying that no matter how cold it gets in the winter of our lives, there is always warmth somewhere to be found.
