Ice Storm in the immediate forecast

Characters communicate more through their silence than through the spoken word in Ang Lee's brilliant film, The Ice Storm. Showing this evening, The Ice Storm follows the fate of two closely connected families through a harrowing Thanksgiving weekend.

Moviegoers who recently enjoyed Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter will find a companion piece in The Ice Storm. Where Egoyan depicted families fragmented over the pain of death, The Ice Storm observes families falling to pieces in life.

The film is a period piece set in 1973. The sexual revolution, feminism, and the Watergate scandal are central parts of white, upper-middle class life. These social upheavals spawn a mix of discontents and freedoms in the protagonists' lives.

Lee attempts to ground the characters within their time period while exploring contemporary themes and issues. Speaking of The Ice Storm, Lee told the New York Times that the movie addresses the role of the family in a society that values liberation. Ang Lee's past films have all dealt with family issues, whether Chinese (Eat, Drink, Man, Woman) or English (Emma Thompson's adaptation of Sense and Sensibility).

The two neighboring families of the film, the Hoods and the Carvers, are not dysfunctional but destructive. Liberal desires go unfulfilled by suburban drudgery and family life. Free sex and drug experimentation has jaded the pursuit of the American dream. The characters are all too aware that beneath their perfect lives is a discontent which self-help books and couples therapy can not resolve.

Both Elena Hood (Joan Allen) and Janey Carver (Sigourney Weaver) are unsatisfied in marriages which have grown cold over time. Cleaning the house, cooking dinner, and watching the children leaves them craving excitement. Their husbands, too self-interested to deal with their unhappiness, offer no help. Both women become silently distant to their families.

Their husbands lead lives largely separate from their marriages. Ben Hood (Kevin Kline) looks to an affair with Janey Carver to satisfy his un-met sexual needs. Jim Carver (Jamey Sheridan) is so immersed in the exciting business of plastics that he hardly notices his wife and children.

All of the parents are painfully unaware of their children's interests or behavior. The Carver boys are introverted and withdrawn with little social skills. Both become intrigued by the sexually aggressive and leftist Wendy Hood (Christina Ricci). The children treat sex with more honesty than the parents do, who are hardly able to discuss it openly.

The characters only show signs of life away from the family. Within social situations, their words flow freely, though guarded. Adults and children are both caught up in social competition. Who among the adults are the most swinging couple? Who among the adolescents has gone all the way? Hedonism and freedom become signs of social dominance.

Both adults and children try to ignore one another in pursuit of their own personal freedom. Sigourney Weaver's performance is exceptional as a mother unable to talk or relate to her own children. She seems disinterested in everything but her own desires.

The film's subdued blues, blacks, and grays create a cold and tense environment. The sounds of dead trees creaking in the wind, freezing rain pounding on windows, and tinkling ice on electric wires runs through the soundtrack. Their noise is hostile, yet strangely beautiful. Beneath the constant sense of repression lies the hope of human warmth and contact.

Mr. Lee found the script (written by American James Schamus) dealing with two basic human themes. The first-embarrassment-is seen in the couple's self-conscious search for liberation. They wish to fulfill personal sexual needs but are uncomfortable talking about what they want. The second-adolescence-is the painful process of maturing to an openness and honesty within the family.

The most amazing aspect of The Ice Storm is its energy. The heavy themes don't slow the movie down. At times it is humorous and touching as well as sad. The script allows the characters a great depth which Lee accentuates in his long close ups. Awarded at Cannes and critically acclaimed, The Ice Storm lives up to its reputation. The Ice Storm proves that Ang Lee is one of the most thoughtful and engaging directors of contemporary film.

- Brian Gresko