Dead Of Winter Movie Review (2025)
A psychological thriller about a woman traveling alone who happens upon what seems like a crime, Dead Of Winter is a slow trudge through the cold, thawing only at the end.
I think Emma Thompson is fantastic. With a catalogue of films that range from Peter’s Friends to Love Actually to The Children Act, she is one of those actors who always seems up for a challenge. She is fearless, baring all in Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, and spending this film so far out of the box of characters she tends towards that even her voice is unrecognizable.
Dead Of Winter is about Barb, a woman traveling alone to a frozen lake destination in northern Minnesota. While on the road, she gets lost in the wintry weather and happens upon a remote house. A lone man, startled by her presence, gives her directions, but Barb notices blood on the ground, glaringly red against the snow. Driving away, she feels she may have witnessed a crime, so she goes back to investigate.
This is the kind of movie that I suspect has a vast array of opinions attached, but since this is my space for reviewing, I’m going to give you mine. I found this film unbelievably slow to trudge through. I wanted to like it, and I kept waiting to be drawn into the story, but the information given is so sparse and takes so long to be divulged that it was tough to stay invested.
Emma Thompson is incredible as Barb, with a thick Minnesota accent, deep lines in her face, and a more rugged physicality than I’ve ever seen her perform before. She spends quite a bit of time alone in this film, remembering times with her husband or poking around the man’s house, and you stay intrigued by her.
You are also intrigued by the man and his wife (played by Judy Greer), who appears to be sick, but it takes until the last act to get any real background – and even then, it’s not very much. This film is a bunch of events that take place, with a little bit of history about Barb and her husband, but it lacks real depth. It stays surface-level, even when you want to care about someone.
I did enjoy the white and brown color palette, with the only bright colors being the red blood and the orange ball on a fishing lure. Those two items stick out in the storyline as well, so it’s a nice touch. It’s also a fun choice that Emma Thompson’s daughter, Gaia Wise, plays a younger Barb in flashback.
I found the first two acts of Dead Of Winter to be too measured for a psychological thriller, but it picked up in the last act. The final 20 minutes of the film, when a number of things happen quickly, are by far the best part of the movie. Unfortunately for me, I was past the point of caring too much about anyone, but maybe it’ll be different for you. It’s always good to finally get some answers.
Runtime: 98 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Only if you need to see everything with Emma Thompson or Judy Greer
Did I Cry? I got choked up
My Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Available: Free on Max, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
