First Snow

There have been boatloads of movies passing themselves off as thrillers so far in 2007, but none better than this independent gem from the cowriters of another recent winner, Children of Men. Like Memento, this stunner of a movie will simply freak you out. And also like Memento, it stars one of today's better actors, Guy Pearce, who just nails it as a jukebox salesman who discovers his fate at a roadside stop when his car breaks down. With time to kill, he goes to a desert-dwelling fortune-teller, who, along with other predictions, indicates there is something ominous in his future. When the rest of the forecasts start to come true, he revisits the soothsayer and discovers he may not have long to live. An overwhelming wave of paranoid obsession with this fate soon submerges him and everyone around him as he feels he must gain control of his life to avoid the death sentence. Pearce is on screen for 99 percent of this film, often alone and in silence. His expressions and body language make for a scorching portrayal of a man once riding high but now on the edge. The key themes at work here is a look at how we bring things upon ourselves and questioning if we really are the master of our own fate. Special mention should also go to Piper Perabo, who takes what could have been a thankless role as his girlfriend and gives it three dimensions. First Snow is a first-rate, incredibly intense, and unrelenting thriller that is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. You may have to seek it out, but we predict you will find it well worth the effort.