Movie Review—The Snowman

British theatrical release poster

by Peter J. O'Connell  

The Snowman. Released (USA): Oct. 2017. Runtime: 119 mins. MPAA Rating: R for grisly images, violence, some language, sexuality and brief nudity.

Scandinavian films had a certain popularity in the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s. Some liked them because they offered more “skin” and sexuality than American films of the time. Others liked them—notably, the films of Ingmar Bergman—because they offered more probing of deep psychological/philosophical/theological issues than did American films. But interest in Scandinavian cinema waned in the last quarter of the 20^th century. Over the past two decades, however, there have been several bursts of interest in it, particularly in the type that has come to be known as “Nordic noir.”

Nordic noir doesn't have much philosophical or theological probing. It often, however, has sexual and psychological themes, but usually in the context of a dark and downbeat drama centering around crime. Often the protagonist—whether a cop or a civilian—is a brilliant but emotionally damaged individual, perhaps depressive and/or a substance abuser. In these films both the meteorological weather and the emotional weather are usually bad. There may be considerable quiet brooding but also, usually,  instances of shocking violence.

Perhaps the first burst of American interest in Nordic noir came in 2002 when the Norwegian film Insomnia was remade as a U.S. film of the same name starring an A-list cast of Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank. Other NN-influenced works of note followed, particularly The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011), which was a U.S. remake of one of the films in a 2009 trilogy of Swedish films. Both the Swedish trilogy and the American remake attracted attention from moviegoers and 

movie critics. The spreading influence of Nordic noir from Scandinavian films and their remakes led to American and British works along the same lines, but not necessarily based on Scandinavian originals. A number of these works appeared as cable TV and “streaming” movies or series and even as broadcast TV series. 

Now we have The Snowman, a British movie based on a Norwegian novel and filmed in Norway, with all dialogue in English. Tomas Alfredson, a Swede, directed, with an international cast, including Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones, Chloe Sevigny—as twins, Val Kilmer—with an odd hairdo, J.K. Simmons—with an odd accent. Michael Fassbender stars as Harry Hole, the lead detective of an elite Oslo police unit. He is also depressive, alcoholic, and insomniac. (And both those amused by his name as seen in print—or seeking symbolism in it—should know that it is pronounced “Holy” in Norway but means neither “hole” nor “holy.”)

Harry is tasked with investigating the disappearance of a woman on the first snow of winter. He comes to believe that an elusive serial killer, operating for years, who leaves snowmen as markers of his crimes or threats of murders to come, may strike again. Joined by a bright new recruit (Rebecca Ferguson) who admires him, Harry strives to outwit the killer—whose victims are usually women who have neglected or abused their children or had abortions—before the next snowfall. An effort to obtain an international sports festival for Oslo is also part of the plot. 

The mystery that Harry has to solve is a difficult one. It's also difficult for the audience to understand what's going on in this movie. Many thrillers these days have convoluted plots, but that of The Snowman is beyond convoluted; it's incomprehensible. According to an astonishing confession by director Alfredson, there's a reason for that: “Our shoot time in Norway was way too short, we didn't get the whole story with us and when we started cutting we discovered that a lot was missing. It's like when you're making a big jigsaw puzzle and a few pieces are missing so you don't see the whole picture.” 

So, apparently, the best that a moviegoer trapped in this incomplete cinematic jigsaw puzzle can do is look at The Snowman as a travelogue rather than a story, noir or otherwise. The cinematography of Oslo and Bergen and the surrounding areas, seen from various angles and altitudes, is quite striking. Norway is certainly a beautiful country, and its landscapes, seascapes, architecture, and infrastructure are impressive. Some may feel that the film's makers should jettison The Snowman's ostensible plot and put what's left on the National Geographic TV channel rather than put a film full of holes in a movie theatre.