In the end, it'll warm your heart.
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04/09/05
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Winter Solstice (2005)
62
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:78
Fresh:48
Rotten:30
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: A deliberately paced, realistic portrait of a family's grief and healing.
Theatrical Release:Apr 8, 2005 Limited
Box Office: $245,785
Synopsis: In this solemn family film about three men sharing a broken household, Jim (Anthony LaPaglia) stars as a father just trying to keep it all together. His sons Pete and Gabe (Mark Webber and Aaron... [More]
Starring: Anthony LaPaglia, Aaron Stanford, Mark Webber, Allison Janney
Director: Josh Sternfeld
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Reviews for Winter Solstice
Writer/director Josh Sternfeld has a feel for life's little interactions -- the moments before or after Big Things Happen, otherwise known as: most of the time.
04/14/05
This kind of conceptual and directorial control isn't as easy to accomplish as it might look, and it's particularly welcome in this era of overheated hysteria, both on the screen and off.
04/21/05
Top CriticFlashy it certainly ain’t, but there’s no discounting the value of a decent story well told, especially these days.
05/02/05
It is satisfying to see fine actors express emotions in a completely relatable way, but the dimensions of the sorrows and understanding depicted don't really make for much dramatic excitement.
04/23/05
The atmosphere of awkward, wounded retreat in the Winters house comes through in Josh Sternfeld's tentative, earnest dialogue and in the quiet, unadorned way the movie is shot.
04/21/05
A quivering portrait of a grief-stricken family, all male, after the loss of a wife and mom.
04/12/05
...a gem...
09/30/05
Story of a still-grieving widower and his two troubled teenage sons is distinguished by its emotional integrity, sustained mood of aching melancholy and superbly understated performances.
04/07/05
Gently told, beautifully acted tale about a widowed landscape gardener who's afraid his growing sons are making all the wrong starts in life. As quietly dazzling as a small, very precious stone.
04/07/05
There are nice touches to growth and good-byes here.
04/03/05
This is minimalist filmmaking at its finest -- beautifully acted, dramatically fulfilling, often funny and achingly true.
04/21/05
Top CriticA gracefully understated drama about a widower trying to help his sons - and himself - heal after a tragedy.
04/08/05
The small, ultra-modest, well-acted "Winter Solstice" offers a poignant look at the effects of loss on a father and his two sons as they try to establish a new life
04/03/05
Winter Solstice is a small, intimate, film that is going to stay with you for a long time.
04/08/05
As haunting and memorable as it is quiet and unassuming.
04/14/05
An extraordinary film about ordinary people, a lovely chamber-music piece in an era dominated by bombastic symphonic-scaled movies.
04/26/05
An engrossing film about the renewal that comes to a family that has been mourning a loved one for a long time.
04/07/05
You come to admire the way Winter Solstice delivers its emotional impact by showing more than telling.
04/07/05
Top CriticAmbiance-rich pic about the New Jersey father of two teen sons.
04/05/05
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