The arctic cold that descended upon campus reminded us that we’re still a long way from long, balmy days and endless greenery in our corner of upstate New York. Yet, the best way to go about life in a changing world is to revel in every season.
When the world outside is monochromatic, your fingers are burnt by the cold, and your mind becomes sluggish—curl up with a movie! It feels like such a luxury amidst all of the short-form entertainment that surrounds us. And while a tropical escape is sometimes necessary, I encourage my readers to try a movie set in winter (and not the Christmas kind!). It will seldom feel visceral and relatable as now. Here are three essential winter movies to help you embrace the season in which bears prefer to be unconscious.
1. The Shining (1980)
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is very likely my favorite movie–yet it haunts me. After I saw it for the first time as a sophomore in high school, I couldn’t get a good night’s sleep for days afterward.
Much has been said about The Shining, but there is little doubt that it is a masterpiece of psychological horror. Jumpscares are few and far between, but The Shining shines in its atmosphere of dread and despair. Stacked with intricate symbolism, every shot and piece of dialogue feels monumentous—and chilling. The Shining follows a writer, Jack Torrance, along with his wife Wendy and son Danny, as he is hired as the winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, deep in the Rocky Mountains. With roads impassable through much of the winter, the vast hotel becomes totally isolated; the Torrances are its sole inhabitants. It is this isolation that informs the eerie, liminal atmosphere and begins to pervade the characters’ psyches. It becomes increasingly apparent that the Overlook itself is a malevolent, supernatural presence that will drive the unthinkable to occur.
An adaptation of Steven King’s novel that now lives in the cultural shadow of the film, The Shining is fantastically made and rich in detail, and Jack Nicholson embodies his role with horrifying perfection. Immerse yourself in the slow-burning horror of cabin fever in the snowy depths of winter and hope it doesn’t take hold of you. Remember: all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!
2. Groundhog Day (1993)
If The Shining has you shook, change the channel to Groundhog Day, a fan favorite. I have good memories of watching this with my grandpa. A genuinely satisfying plot interposed with plenty of romance and thrill, Groundhog Day is as quaint and warmhearted as you’ll find in a post-holiday winter movie. Set in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on its namesake day, the movie serves up piping Americana from my home state.
The premise of Groundhog Day is quite simple: What if you were trapped in a time loop? What would you do? How would you escape? This is the situation in which a jaded TV weatherman (aptly named Phil) finds himself, played by a Bill Murray you love to hate, and then learn to love. Over the course of the movie, he experiences February 2 on a nonstop loop, during which he memorizes every detail of the little universe he inhabits, attempts to seduce his crush, and does everything he can to escape the loop.
Despite the dire and strange circumstances of its main character—Groundhog Day verges on the morbid—it remains steadfastly hilarious and heartfelt, ultimately proving just how much you can accomplish in a single winter’s day. If February begins to make you feel listless and numb to your daily routine, let Groundhog Day jolt you out of your malaise and remind you just how lucky you are to experience each day as a fresh new chapter in your life.
3. Fargo (1996)
At first, it’s hard to know what to think of Fargo, a crime drama by the Coen Brothers set in the tundra-like winter of Minnesota and North Dakota. Though similar to the likes of Breaking Bad in its premise, Fargo is distinctive in its unmistakable infusion of upper-Midwest culture. The accents are downright comical (my friend and I spoke only in Minnesota accents after watching it), and our antihero is as Minnesota-nice as criminals come. Fargo might feel satirical and strangely lighthearted at first, but this illusion disappears when blood is shed.
Having orchestrated a heist to acquire ransom money from his father-in-law through the planned kidnapping of his wife, it’s clear from the start that car salesman Jerry Lundegaard is in over his head. Police chief Marge Gunderson is hot on his trail, played by Frances McDormand, who delivers the performance that makes the movie. Her harrowing job is in contrast to her agreeable, maternal presence, and her pregnancy accentuates her badass-ness.
With a sweeping, grandiose soundtrack and stunning cinematography that benefits from the otherworldly appeal of snowy landscapes, Fargo is an oft-gruesome thriller dressed up in subtle dark comedy and the lovable demeanor of Minnesotans. Though claiming from the start to describe true events, it is far from a documentary. Fargo verges on the nihilistic. Its quirky exterior belies a frigid existentialism accented by snowy landscapes. Is it worth a watch? Ooo, yah. And is now the perfect time? You betcha!