Delayed Reaction: White Bird in a Blizzard

The Pitch: A teenage girl's mother goes missing. She reflects on the events leading up to it.

I had an idea of what I was getting into with this movie. It's from director Gregg Araki, who also made Mysterious Skin. White Bird in a Blizzard is a bit more polished looking, in the sense that it's ten years newer. It has a similar tone and relies a lot on its young star. Shailene Woodley carries the movie, often adding some shades to her performance that a replacement-level actress wouldn't. I think Eva Green is terrific in general, but she didn't fit in this movie (somewhat intentionally). Everyone else was underplaying, going more naturalistic. Meanwhile, she's going big. I assume that's intended to show how she doesn't belong in the life she's living. The contrast was too stark though. I like how the mystery of the movie is hiding in plain sight, and the twist of it [the real twist] is delightfully unexpected. So much of everything before the final act, like everything with Thomas Jane, felt like wheel spinning to kill time.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend