Dead of Winter (2025)

As a Minnesotan, I was legally required to see Dead of Winter in theaters with some other Minnesotan friends. I didn’t know it was actually filmed in Finland until the credits rolled and the insane Norwegian and Scandinavian names just kept coming. It really did look like northern Minnesota, which makes it a shame they didn’t film it here - I’m sure there’s some tax reason or whatever.

Let’s get the Minnesota-specific stuff out of the way first. Emma Thompson’s accent was pretty good, though she leaned into the folksiness a little too hard. The number of “uftas” in this film was a little crazy. I wish they’d either gone full Fargo or something more subtle, but you know, whatever. It’s fine. I think people will like it no matter what. I did love her earnestness and kindness, but those guys who come to rescue her after she radios them being so standoffish? That struck me as the least Minnesotan thing in the entire film. There’s no way these guys would call to confirm it’s a woman calling and then continue to hold her at gunpoint in northern Minnesota. That would never happen. Ever.

I loved the sparseness. I loved the cinematography of the north. I loved the snow, and it actually made me excited for winter, which is crazy. I’m not much of an ice fisherman, but this also made that look kind of fun too - which I don’t think was the intended effect.

This movie reminded me most of No Country for Old Men - or in this case, No Country for Old Women. It’s a process movie. You’re watching Emma Thompson solve problems in real time. There’s not always an explanation for what she’s doing and why, but it becomes clearly evident quickly, which reminded me a lot of the dynamics in No Country. Particularly that scene where you see her meticulously sewing up her wounds with fishing tackle. Very Anton Chigurh.

I appreciated the pacing. I appreciated having older women lead a pseudo-action thriller. The plot was pretty threadbare and got a little crazy towards the end, but honestly, it didn’t really matter for me. This was about characters and setting and tone.

Judy Greer was actually wonderful too. I loved not knowing what was going on but trusting we’d eventually find out. She did a great job selling a woman who will stop at nothing to save her own skin. And she’s really not helping nurses beat the allegations of being the meanest people in the universe.

That girl they had to rescue was one of the most annoying characters I’ve ever seen committed to film. Whiny, useless - and at the end, she just walked away from Emma Thompson after Thompson had literally sacrificed herself to save her ass. She wasn’t even dead yet. I couldn’t believe it.

I think the film was trying to say something about husbands and wives and the dynamics between them. The main antagonist is this woman who’s horrible to her husband, while Emma Thompson apparently had a wonderful life and gave everything to her husband until he died. But it feels confusing - a lot of the male characters don’t really fit into this framework. Like those two truckers she radios for help don’t listen to her as a woman, don’t respect her, and end up paying with their lives for it.

How does that fit? I don’t know. Maybe it’s something about selflessness versus selfishness, which is best exemplified through Judy Greer and Emma Thompson’s characters.

This is definitely a huge Fargo homage too. Emma Thompson’s character has massive Marge Gunderson energy - she’s a very pure, good-hearted mother and wife. Very folksy.

Overall, I think it was a fine film. It’s a perfectly adequate 3 out of 5. And if you’re a Minnesotan, I do think you should watch it. Gotta represent and support.

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