The Winter Guest

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The Winter Guest

R

Released Dec 24, 1997

1h 46m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

63%

Tomatometer

27 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

It's winter in a small Scottish village near the sea, and multiple lives intersect in a day. Frances (Emma Thompson) has just lost her husband to an early death, so her mother, Elspeth (Phyllida Law), travels to Frances' house to reconnect with her daughter and grandson, Alex (Gary Hollywood). Meanwhile, old women Chloe (Sandra Voe) and Lily (Sheila Reid) go to a funeral, youngsters Sam (Douglas Murphy) and Tom (Sean Biggerstaff) cut class, and Alex gets a crush on tomboy Nita (Arlene Cockburn).

Stanley Kauffmann

The New Republic

The Winter Guest is a pleasure to watch, if only (but not only) for the chance to see Thompson. She is a continually revealing artist.

Jan 1, 2000

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

[Rickman] has great command here of look and tone, and I felt I knew what it would be like to wander the streets of that village in Scotland. But the film left me feeling strangely hollow.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

A dull, plodding exercise directed by actor Alan Rickman.

Rated: C

Jan 19, 2023

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Prairie Miller

WBAI Web Radio

Moving as flawlessly and gracefully across the movie screen as the snow on its mute, chilly Scottish landscape, the film inspires amazement and awe as the work of novice director, Alan Rickman.

Oct 5, 2007

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Film Threat

Rated: 2.5/5

Dec 6, 2005

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Daniel Eagan

Film Journal International

Well-made but dreary mother-daughter conflict

Rated: 2/5

Nov 28, 2005

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thiago s

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/21/25

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nick s

Well acted and lovely bleak cinamatography. If you're up for a slow moving voyeuristic movie following several people's lives as they navigate life in a small Scottish town then this is the movie for you. If not, it's a snore fest. There was no real tension nor stakes for the characters. I feel this story structure is much more suited to a play.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/29/24

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Nancy G

This is my favourite film of all times. I love the scenery, the storyline, the deeper layers of the film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Alan Rickman's frigid directorial effort is an adaptation of Sharman Macdonald's same-titled play describing a winter day in a Scottish seaside town spent by a quartet of coupled protagonists remunerating bereavement, passion, loss of innocence and death.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

if you are looking for a quiet thoughtful compelling film this fits that bill. I watch it every winter for several years. Beautifully written, acted, directed. Cohesive.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Audience Member

?The Winter Guest Full Movie HD Watch Now http://bit.ly/1VauRF0 Synopsis of The Winter Guest Movie: The plot of the story is interactions between two young boys, two teenagers, a mother, a grandmother, and two elderly women. It can be said though that the main actor in the film is frozen sea, and the rest of the stories are only surreal background to it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

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Alan Rickman

Director

Phyllida Law

Elspeth

Emma Thompson

Frances

Gary Hollywood

Alex

Arlene Cockburn

Nita

Sheila Reid

Lily

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Synopsis

It's winter in a small Scottish village near the sea, and multiple lives intersect in a day. Frances (Emma Thompson) has just lost her husband to an early death, so her mother, Elspeth (Phyllida Law), travels to Frances' house to reconnect with her daughter and grandson, Alex (Gary Hollywood). Meanwhile, old women Chloe (Sandra Voe) and Lily (Sheila Reid) go to a funeral, youngsters Sam (Douglas Murphy) and Tom (Sean Biggerstaff) cut class, and Alex gets a crush on tomboy Nita (Arlene Cockburn).

Director: Alan Rickman
Producer: Steve Clark-Hall, Ken Lipper, Edward R. Pressman
Screenwriter: Sharman Macdonald, Alan Rickman
Distributor: Fine Line Features
Production Co: Fine Line Features, Channel Four Films, Capitol Films
Rating: R (Language|Brief Sensuality)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 24, 1997, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $849.3K
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital