Overlooked classics: The Ice Storm
Ang Lee's 'The Ice Storm' came out in November of 1997 and was well received when it was released. With a cast featuring Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Allen, Elijah Wood, Tobey Maguire, Katie Holmes and Christina Ricci you'd imagine the film might be more well remembered. A few years ago Criterion picked up the rights to the film and released a beautiful version of it. But, for the most part it's been forgotten about.
Domestic dramas are hard to pull off because naturally the audience compares the familial problems with their own. Yet, 'The Ice Storm' which is set in 1973 in Connecticut feels so unique and lived in that it's easy to accept this as a story we don't connect with. At it's core the film is about people struggling and losing control of their lives slowly. It's a slow burn type of film that slowly draws in the viewer to this world unlike our own. But, one that we can easily imagine and see ourselves in.
'The Ice Storm' is a sad movie. That should be a warning before one goes to watch it. It's no Christmas Vacation. But, it's a drama infused with emotion and genuine care for it's characters which is rare now. It's a film that snuck up on me when I first saw it and left me speechless. If you're a fan of a good drama, it's one of the best. Ang Lee has since gone on to make Life of Pi, Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which have each been huge in their own respect. Maybe that's why The Ice Storm gets less love. But, in my opinion it just might be his best movie and definitely one that could be called an overlooked classic.