The most traumatic thing any parent can think of is losing their child. This is the story of Alex Hughes (Alan Rickman), a man who is on his way to Winnipeg in a search for closure. He picks up a teenage girl, Vivienne (Emily Hampshire), at a truck stop where she was trying to hitch a ride home. As they arrive in Vivienne's home town, a truck comes careening out of nowhere and broadsides Alex's vehicle. Alex walks away from the accident. Now he is faced with the task of finding Vivienne's mother to try to find a way to assuage the guilt of Vivienne's death.

Linda (Sigourney Weaver) has just heard of Vivienne's death when Alex arrives, and barely seems to be phased. When Alex realizes that Linda is autistic and had relied on Vivienne to take care of her, he ends up staying for a while to help take care of her. Through his time with Linda and with the neighbor, Maggie (Carrie-Anne Moss), Alex slowly comes to grips with his own demons concerning his son's death four years earlier.

I really wasn't sure what to expect with this movie. Snowcake ended up making its way to the Netflix queue after we saw a preview at the beginning of another independent film, and it appealed to both me and the significant other. I have long been a fan of Alan Rickman, so I figured if nothing else it may be a chance to see a good performance from him. We were not disappointed, though Rickman's performance wasn't the height of the show like I expected it might be.

Both Rickman and Carrie-Anne Moss gave performances that are very typical for them. Rickman played the pained, introverted, very proper Englishman that he has shown in so many different roles. Yes, he plays this part masterfully and I did enjoy watching it, but certainly nothing at all new from him. Moss played the mysterious, seductive woman and really didn't show much depth or any variety at all. These two gave good performances within their normal roles, but I do enjoy seeing something new and challenging that really shows off an actor's talents.

That's where Sigourney Weaver comes in. I must confess, I've never been much of a Weaver fan, she's just never seemed quite real to me in any of her roles...which is why I really didn't expect her performance to be the one that made the movie for me. Anyone who has ever spent time around people with severe functional autism can fully appreciate the true depth of Weaver's performance. Every move, gesture, and even eye movement is perfectly suited to a typical person with Linda's level of autism.

While Weaver's character did not show much overt depth, this is also consistent with autism. One of the most heart-wrenching aspects of the movie is watching this woman go through every shade of emotion trying to deal with the death of her daughter, when she doesn't know how to deal with any of those emotions.

The story line was fairly simple and predictable, though well-done throughout. Pacing seemed a little slow in places, though neither of us got bored and it picked up fast enough to allow us to stay completely engrossed in the movie. I would have liked to have seen a little more resolution to some of the characters' stories, though the hallmark of some good movies is their ability to keep one thinking for days after watching, wondering where all the characters might have ended up.

Overall, this was a very well-done movie that is well above the standards of the average "mainstream" film. Many may consider it a chick flick because it does focus on almost purely emotional aspects, though the only man I know who has watched it enjoyed it entirely. This is definitely a must-see for fans of movies that focus on the range of human emotion during times of grief and change.