Edge of Winter (film)

Edge of Winter
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Rob Connolly
Produced by	Independent Edge Films JoBro Productions & Film Finance
Written by	Rob Connolly Kyle Mann
Starring	Joel Kinnaman Tom Holland Percy Hynes White Rossif Sutherland
Release date	August 12, 2016 (2016-08-12) (U.S.) August 19, 2016 (2016-08-19) (Canada)
Running time	89 minutes
Country	Canada United States
Language	English French

Edge of Winter is a 2016 Canadian drama film directed by and written by Rob Connolly and Kyle Mann.^[1] It stars Joel Kinnaman, Tom Holland, and Percy Hynes White. The film centers on a recently divorced father, Elliot Baker (Kinnaman), whose angry behavior slowly controls him while he resides with his two sons (Holland and White) at his cabin in the wilderness. The film was produced by Independent Edge Films in association with JoBro Productions & Film Finance.

Plot

Divorced Elliot Baker, who has just lost his job after punching his boss after a workplace accident, jumps at the chance to spend time with his two boys, teenager Bradley and younger Caleb. After their mother drops the boys off, they discover Elliot's shotgun in his bedroom. Elliot chastises them, then decides it'd be a good bonding experience to teach the boys about firearm safety. The trio head out to Elliot's old lumber yard in the wilderness, en route Elliot discovers text messages on Brad's phone expressing Brad's displeasure with spending time with his father. Elliot hides Brad's phone, so he can spend more time with him.

At the lumber yard, Elliot begins his lesson and alienates Brad after mocking him while firing the gun. Brad gets half angry and half embarrassed, and stays in the car. Caleb kills a rabbit, which greatly disturbs him, and the three begin to leave. Brad is concerned about Elliot drinking and driving, so Elliot hands Brad the keys and teaches him how to drive. Caleb and Brad get into a fight, which results in the car sliding off the road and becoming stuck. The three spend the night in the car, where Caleb tells Elliot about his step-father's promotion and their upcoming move to London against Bradley telling him not to. Distraught, Elliot begins to get angry and slams his hands repeatedly into the steering wheel, breaking his cast before falling asleep.

In the morning, Elliot suggests the three head to a nearby hunting lodge to gather supplies, as they would freeze or starve attempting to reach the road. On the way, Brad falls through some ice and is rescued by Elliot. In the lodge, Caleb starts a fire, and Elliot expresses his anger at losing his family when they move to London. He then proceeds to talk about how he thought he almost lost Bradley. The next morning, the three are startled when two hunters, Richard and Luc, arrive also seeking shelter. Elliot is suspicious of the men, and has them disarm before letting them inside.

Elliot begins to slowly lose his mind. He follows Richard to his truck, and attempts to stop him from contacting help. A brief scuffle happens, and Elliot unintentionally kills Richard. Brad and Caleb realize that their father has lost his mind and plan an escape. They hear a gunshot, rush out and see that their father has killed a deer. Luc arrives, and suspects Elliot has killed Richard. Elliot punches Luc and attempts to shoot him, but misses due to Caleb's efforts. Elliot takes the boys to the cabin, locking them inside their room. Caleb rushes to the door and begs his dad to open. Brad then tries to break down the door but it won’t budge. He kicks the metal bed, springing a nail loose. Brad uses the nail to pry up a floor board, and Caleb escapes, seeing Richard's corpse under the house. Caleb finds Luc in his truck, and Luc agrees to take him to safety along with Brad. Brad pries up another board, and starts a fire in the house in order to escape.

While Brad flees, Elliot chases him through the woods. Eventually, Elliot catches up and takes Bradley telling them that they can’t leave. Bradley tries to escape his grasp but fails. He tells Elliot that people will find them and come looking for them. Caleb comes out and tells Elliot if they stay, they could go fishing and hunt. Elliot lets go of Bradley. Luc comes out and pushes Elliot to the ground, but is beaten to death by Elliot. Brad and Caleb make it to the truck and begin to drive off. Elliot catches up with the boys and pleads with them through an open window to stay. Brad speeds up, and Elliot hangs on to Caleb. Bradley tells him to stop and that he is hurting Caleb. He then speeds up and Caleb kicks him off. The two hold each other, tearing up, as Brad drives off into the night to seek help.

Cast

Production

Filming took place in and around Sudbury, Ontario.

Reception

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter was impressed by the play of Kinnaman, Holland and Hynes White. He says: "[...] Kinnaman delivers a superb turn, especially in such scenes as when the boys tell their helpless father that they'll soon be moving to London with their mother and her new husband. Holland and White also are excellent as the boys who still love their father even while becoming ever more aware of his failings. Their quietly terrified reactions to his escalating belligerence is far more emotionally wrenching than the tired thriller genre conventions to which the film ultimately succumbs."^[2]

References

External links

• Edge of Winter on IMDb
• Edge of Winter at AllMovie
• Edge of Winter at Metacritic
• Edge of Winter at Rotten Tomatoes