First Snow

The soul of a screenplay lies in the second act. After conflict is introduced, great scriptwriters heighten their plots gradually, building story elements little by little while developing character and tone. Sub-par screenplays build gradually, but eventually hit a wall somewhere before the climax. In the worst films, stories die right after stories are born.

First Snow, a debut thriller by filmmaker Mark Fargus, is a film that promises many things early on, but never really brings them anywhere. The script is a classic example of how mere repetition of themes in a story rather than their elevation can result in audience torture. The result is a movie with a heart, but no pulse.

Much of the lifelessness resides in the role of the protagonist. The lead character is Jimmy Starks (Guy Pearce), a struggling floor salesman with dreams of making a fortune off selling vintage jukeboxes. During the first half hour of the film, we see him do lots of naughty things. He talks on a cell phone while driving too fast. When his car overheats, he talks down to a mechanic named Enrique. He has a large interest in how he looks, combing his slickly long hair and shielding his eyes behind some tough guy sunglasses. When he is not barking orders at people below him, he hangs out in a bar trying to sell a jukebox to the bartender. Later, he returns home to his lover Deirdre (Piper Perabo) and sweet talks her into some sex before work.

Fargus goes at great lengths to teach us Jimmy is a sleazy guy (think Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, but without the witty sarcasm). He does this because he is writing a movie about fate and destiny and characters with strong flaws like hubris are very easy to scrutinize. For example, Charles Dickens masterfully articulates Ebenezer Scrooge’s revelation about his miserly greed in A Christmas Carol by making him face his past, present, and future. But Fargus is not trying to teach his audience a lesson through his main character. He uses Jimmy to articulate his thoughts on karma.

Thus, it should be no surprise Jimmy ends up speaking to a psychic when his car breaks down, although it should be surprising that there is a psychic living in a trailer in the middle of nowhere when Jimmy’s car breaks down. Of course, Jimmy is skeptical of the fortune-teller, but he still elects to spend $10 on a session with him. Here, psychic Vacaro (J.K. Simmons) gives Jimmy some tips about the Minnesota Timberwolves and a future business triumph in Dallas. When both occurrences take place, Jimmy revisits Vacaro and is told his life will only last until the first snow.

The “I’m going to die tomorrow so how should I live my life?” storyline is a common thread in cinema. This premise can be very satisfying as in classics Wild Strawberries by Ingmar Bergman and Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa, but after setting his story up with a solid first act exposition, the film falls apart. The relationship between Jimmy and his lover is a dreadfully uninteresting subplot. It feels more like the watching the same scene over and over again rather than the evolution of a love in turmoil. Equally flat is Jimmy’s correspondence with Vincent, a lifelong friend until a crime breaks them apart. The only saving grace during the middle of the film is the comedic relief (and boy is it relief!) provided by Jimmy’s co-worker Ed (William Fichtner). But watching the second act of First Snow is experiencing one ill-conceived scene after another.

A series of bad accidents makes for one terrible crash and the ending of First Snow is a train wreck. While I will not reveal details of the third act, I will say Fargus makes use of the lazy and desperate abandoned warehouse scene and manages to end his film by cheating his audience out of seeing the ending unfold in front of them. It is as if there was not enough money in the budget to shoot the final scene.

The lack of a good story is not helped by Fargus’s inability to create a unique visual style or tone. With the exception of a handful of beautiful images (one particular close-up showing reflections of snowflakes on Guy Pearce’s face is breath-taking), the cinematography is bland and inconsistent. Any possibility of creating a distinct voice is hindered by visual clichés like the several uses of the “it was only a dream” trick or the excessive revisiting of highway tracking shots, as if Fargus believes his camera may find something interesting to record.

To resist picking on a debut independent filmmaker, First Snow is not a complete failure. Fargus has a knack for writing dialogue, a talent not inherent in all professional screenwriters. During one particular conversation between Ed and Jimmy, Ed provides a wonderful anecdote. Jimmy is struck by how true the psychic’s fortunes have become. Ed, a no nonsense type of character, tells a story about how they used to play a game while riding in a car together, counting red Volkswagens as they passed by. Ed explains, relating the game to Jimmy’s idealism, that if you are dead set on looking for something, you will find

it. Unfortunately, the only thing I looked for during First Snow was my watch.

Movie Grade: D

Synopsis:

Wound tight and cocky, Jimmy Starks (Guy Pearce) is a smooth-talking salesman certain he’s on the verge of a big break. Even when his car stalls in the middle of nowhere, a roadside soothsayer (J.K. Simmons) assures him a windfall is on its way. But although Jimmy should be happy when his boss suddenly agrees to financially back his business venture, he starts to become paranoid instead.

As his girlfriend Deirdre (Piper Perabo) and his best friend/ business partner Ed (William Fichtner) watch him slowly come unwound, Jimmy wonders if a past betrayal of his friend, newly paroled Vince (Shea Whigham), could be catching up to him. And, as the weather turns cold, Jimmy can’t help but fear the mysterious seer’s other prediction… that they’ll be no tomorrow after the first snow.