I liked White Bird in a Blizzard, but I did not read the book. White Bird in a Blizzard is a coming of age story about a teenage girl whose mother disappears, but the real drama lies in the implicit competition between the mother and daughter-think Snow White without the step and with more sex. It is a beautiful film-a solid step above The Lovely Bones, but the actors truly make the movie work. Perhaps Gregg Araki, the director, leaned too hard on the 80s. White Bird in a Blizzard chronologically follows the daughter when she is awake and train of consciousness during the oneiric sequences as she gradually discovers the truth. The mystery of her mother’s disappearance is not central to the narrative though it is important insofar as it affects the daughter’s character development. White Bird in a Blizzard’s plot twists only work if you are not familiar with Christopher Meloni’s work, but if you are, you will make an educated guess as to what happened, and you will probably be partially right. If you are completely right, then you’ve seen him in more than Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. I mainly watched White Bird in a Blizzard because Eva Green is in it, and she is always magnificent. Filmmakers have no idea what to do with her, and I am incredibly sad that she is already relegated to playing mothers of teenage girls. I have never seen Shailene Woodley in a film before, and I know that the hair and makeup people played a pivotal role in making her seem uncannily like Eva Green’s daughter. It was so great to see Mark Indelicato, whom I haven’t seen since Ugly Betty, and Gabourey Sidibe as her friends. There are pretty notable appearances by Angela Bassett and Sheryl Lee. White Bird in a Blizzard is a flawed movie, but ultimately a beautiful one and not for those averse to sexual situations and profanity.