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The Winter Guest

Play trailer Poster for The Winter Guest R Released Dec 24, 1997 1h 46m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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63% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 75% 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).

Critics Reviews

View All (27) Critics Reviews
Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Rated: B Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Globe and Mail Rated: 4/4 Apr 25, 2003 Full Review 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 Full Review Dan DiNicola The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY) A dull, plodding exercise directed by actor Alan Rickman. Rated: C Jan 19, 2023 Full Review 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 Full Review Film Threat Rated: 2.5/5 Dec 6, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (100) audience reviews
e. r If you enjoy immersive, slow films this is a gem. Filmed on location, it uses, not odd camera angles nor fake mood lighting to evoke emotion, but the greys & starkness of deep winter. The tension in the movie comes as much from capturing the feel of the landscape as from the plot/acting. I have watched this over & over. One of those rare movies that I find makes me feel slightly uneasy, yet comforted somehow. If you have never experienced deep winter in a small town, this is it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/26/23 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Audience Member Rickman's directorial debut is technically sound but the plot drags despite the best efforts of Emma Thompson and Phyllida Law. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Winter Guest

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

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