Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997)
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52% of critics liked it
(33 reviews) -
57% of users liked it
(4,989 ratings)
Julia Ormond stars as Copenhagen resident Smilla Jasperson, a reclusive, half-Inuit scientist who befriends a neglected Inuit boy who lives in her building. Arriving home from work one day, Smilla is mortified to learn that the boy has died in a fall from the building's roof. Suspicious because… More Julia Ormond stars as Copenhagen resident Smilla Jasperson, a reclusive, half-Inuit scientist who befriends a neglected Inuit boy who lives in her building. Arriving home from work one day, Smilla is mortified to learn that the boy has died in a fall from the building's roof. Suspicious because she knows that her young friend was afraid of heights, Smilla probes into the "accident." Her only ally is an enigmatic man known as the Mechanic (Gabriel Byrne), who also lives in the building and seems sympathetic. Smilla discovers that the boy's family is connected to a mining company conducting top-secret research in her ancestral home of Greenland. Then she spies the Mechanic and the company's president (Richard Harris) dining together. Is she a paranoid conspiracy theorist or a sleuth uncovering a bizarre murder mystery? When a retired secretary (Vanessa Redgrave) helps her make a critical discovery, Smilla sets off for Greenland, where the otherworldly, prehistoric answer to her questions awaits. Danish director Bille August's previous film Pelle the Conqueror (1987) also concerned the bond between an adult Denmark émigré and a child. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Directed By
- Bille August
- Written By
- Ann Biderman
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense
- In Theaters
- Feb 28, 1997 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Bad title, good movie.
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Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
An atmospheric and enjoyably preposterous mystery.
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Carol Cling, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Fascinating setting and strong performances make up for the far-fetched plotting.
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Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
A truly outlandish twist that would be more at home in a no-brainer Hollywood action film than in what purports to be an intelligent adult thriller.
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Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World
Odd, atmospheric thriller that completely falls apart in the finale
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Cast
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Julia Ormond
as Smilla Jasperson
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Gabriel Byrne
as Mechanic
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Richard Harris
as Tork
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Vanessa Redgrave
as Elsa Lubing
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Robert Loggia
as Moritz Jasperson
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Jim Broadbent
as Lagermann
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Mario Adorf
as Lukas
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Peter Capaldi
as Lander
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Bob Peck
as Ravn
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Tom Wilkinson
as Dr. Loyen
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Jürgen Vogel
as Jakkelsen
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Emma Croft
as Benja
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Clipper Miano
as Isaiah
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Agga Olsen
as Juliane
- Charles Lewsen
- Charlotte Bradley
- Matthew Marsh
- Ono Fleischer
- Patrick Field