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Whitewash

Play trailer Poster for Whitewash Released May 2, 2014 1h 30m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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84% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 36% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A drunk (Thomas Haden Church) grapples with guilt after he accidentally kills an acquaintance and buries the body in the snow.
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Whitewash

Critics Reviews

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Tomas Hachard NPR Largely because of a pitch-perfect final line and a Haden Church performance that brings a dose of needed compassion, Whitewash manages to keep its footing. May 1, 2014 Full Review Jenni Miller AV Club The viewer is left in a snowblind limbo that makes it awfully difficult to stay engaged. Rated: C+ May 1, 2014 Full Review David Fear Time Out An airtight demonstration of the maxim that no good deed ever goes unpunished. Apr 2, 2014 Full Review Richard Crouse Richard Crouse An elegantly told story of redemption and survival. Rated: 3/5 Feb 1, 2021 Full Review Monica Reid Far Out Magazine It is a grim and minimal but unexpectedly gripping story. Aug 27, 2018 Full Review Nathan Bartlebaugh The Film Stage It may be small and compact, but Whitewash has a sure, strong voice that deserves to be heard. Rated: B Jun 6, 2016 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (25) audience reviews
TheDirk A seriously flawed film with bad decisions made by the characters due to the poor writing. Still, Whitewash remains interesting & fairly captivating thanks to the singular performance of Thomas Hayden Church. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/19/24 Full Review ronald h Absurdism in art is often attributed to the French, but if this film is any indication, the French Canadians are adept at it, too. In the opening scene of "Whitewash," Bruce, a snowplow driver (Thomas Haden Church), is wending his way through a brutal snowstorm in his vehicle. He's on a dark road with no lights. A man steps in front of the plow and is killed. Bruce wastes no time moving him to another deserted road and using his plow to bury him in the snow. He then turns into the deep woods and crashes through the wilderness until he hits a tree and gets stuck. So he decides to live in the vehicle, which at least has a heater (even though he's low on gas). All the time, he's swigging booze from a flask. He's clearly upset. Why does he not call the cops? Why live in the snowplow? We're told in flashbacks. Little by little, we learn who the dead man is and the circumstances that led to his death. This strange, mysterious movie has moments of black humor and is definitely out of the mainstream. It's Church's performance that keeps it interesting. He's a bit of a Canadian Raskolnikov, wrestling with guilt. I'm grateful for films like this that don't try to be Hollywood blockbusters and aren't afraid to be weird. Highly recommended for fans of black humor and the absurd. Or should I say "l'absurde"? Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member "No good deed…" you know the rest. Thomas Haden Church has a special place in my heart from Sideways, which is the only reason I added this film to my watch list. With a huge RT discrepancy (84/34), I wasn't sure where I'd land — mind you, the critics only have 25 reviews while the audience has over 250. Nevertheless, Whitewash exceeded my expectations. From start to finish, I wanted to know more about Bruce (THC) and arrive at his fate. It has that Cast Away concept of a man hopelessly out of his element. However, the voiceover was distracting and, like usual, hurt the film. I get it, we all want to hear THC's voice, but then don't cast him in a movie where he's in the frigid Quebec wilderness for 75% of the run-time. Although it would've been predictable, I would've liked to see how Church performed a man's descent into madness, but we don't really get that. He saves a man from killing himself, only to accidentally kill that man — he's a sympathetic character who deserves a better ending. I can recommend Whitewash to THC fans or those who enjoy watching a human struggle for survival, you don't have to raise your hands. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member I liked this move. The main topic is punishment, "no good deed goes unpunished". It is also about the mental consequences of being alone and isolated. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Good little crime movie. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Really boring. Not bad acting just boring and slowww Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Whitewash

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A drunk (Thomas Haden Church) grapples with guilt after he accidentally kills an acquaintance and buries the body in the snow.
Director
Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais
Producer
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Screenwriter
Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais, Marc Tulin
Distributor
Oscilloscope Pictures
Production Co
Micro Scope
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 2, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 11, 2017
Runtime
1h 30m
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