Ever have that pal who keeps mouthing off about how they don’t like to read previews or see trailers of upcoming films because they want to be surprised when a movie comes out? They get so annoying Holy as they make it sound like the smallest detail would ruin the entire theatrical experience. They don’t want anything to set their expectations for the movie. And you want to yell at them, “If that’s so true, why do you care about the movie’s title?” Indeed a title sets up the tone and expectations of a film. Jaws pretty much let you know something was going to get eaten like the title Eaten Alive. Even Untitled Woody Allen Project let you pretty much know it’s another Woody Allen film. Although sometimes a title will also lead you astray. Take for instance Snowflake. My first response was that this had to be a film about middle aged guys whining about kids today. It isn’t. The fall back was that this was some sort of winter themed film. The landscape is not blanketed by snow like Fargo. Snowflake (or Schneeflöckchen) is a German film that goes overboard on the weirdness and the violence.
This is a movie that’s very self-aware that it’s a movie since one of the characters is the guy typing away on the script. But he’s not a pro screenwriter living in Hollywood. Arend (Alexander Schubert) is a dentist and finds his creative path blocked by Javid (Reza Brojerdi) and Tan (Erkan Acar). They want the script to work a certain way because they are assassins. They understand their fates can be altered on the page. And what is the story that Arend is pecking out on the keyboards? He has a revenge story about how Eliana (Xenia Assenaza) is going after the guys who killed her parents. She’s not the most imposing figure, but she won’t be stopped. She doesn’t want to listen to the reason given by her bodyguard (David Masterson). He’s not sure if it’s a wise thing. The unreality of script is going to connect with the reality of Arend’s creative process does get connected and like everything in this film – there’s a lot of blood and bullets in the merging.
Snowflake is a dazzling and violent film with its flipping between realities. There’s a lot of violence on the screen and the streets of Berlin. There’s also a character named Snowflake who steals the show when she arrives as a singing angel with giant white wings. They don’t stay white for long. This low budget production truly put their money on the screen in the form of fake blood that pours out of nearly every character like a history of hemophilia. There’s a hypnotic charm to the weirdness as it progresses and gathers speed during the film. The fact that as far as I can tell, none of the actors are major stars, keeps you guessing if someone is going to survive the scene let alone the movie. Snowflake keeps up the heat until the end.
The video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The audio is 5.1 Surround Sound and 2.0 Stereo mix. Both are in German. There are English subtitles for those whose German is limited to words used on Hogan’s Heroes.
Making of Featurette (58:52) shows off the joys of deep indie filmmaking were they have to use a lot of random extension cords to get the lights going on borrowed locations. They do seem to be having plenty of fun making their movie over a long period of time.
Trailer (2:34) reflects the weirdness of a world where reality and fantasy merge in a dentist’s office.
Artsploitation Films presents Snowflake. Directed by Adolfo J. Kolmerer & William James. Screenplay by: Arend Remmers. Starring: Reza Brojerdi, Xenia Assenza, Erkan Acar, David Masterson & Alexander Schubert. Rated: R. Running Time: 98 minutes. Released: December 11, 2019.
