Synopsis
A widower confronts his older son's decision to leave home and his younger son's self-destructive behavior.
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Cast
- Anthony LaPagliaJim Winters
- Aaron StanfordGabe Winters
- Mark WebberPete Winters
- Allison JanneyMolly Ripkin
- Michelle MonaghanStacey
- Brendan Sexton IIIRobbie
- Ron LivingstonMr. Bricker
- Ebon Moss-BachrachSteve
- Frank WoodBill Brennan
- Kel O'NeillTim
Recommendations
- 100
Christian Science Monitor
As quietly dazzling as a small, very precious stone. - 91
Entertainment Weekly
A realistic drama that looks and feels as inevitably true and moving as a good documentary. - 80
Variety
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. - 75
New York Post
A well-built machine that dunks you into a big warm vat of sadness. There's no plot: It's a situation drama. Instead of punch lines, it delivers regular shots of heartbreak. - 70
The New York Times
The boys, particularly Mr. Webber as Pete, are astonishingly good, and Ms. Monaghan, who looks like a slightly more tomboyish Liv Tyler, makes a deep impression in a minor role. Mr. LaPaglia, of the television series "Without a Trace," brings a tender gravity to the shell-shocked Jim. - 70
Los Angeles Times
Sternfeld's approach is rigorously minimalist, which is a plus since the Winters family is in no way extraordinary or distinctive. - 60
Village Voice
What makes Winter Solstice, a nice little Jersey vignette about a widower and his two teenage sons, so striking is writer-director Josh Sternfeld's respect for the verbal shorthand of family interaction. - 40
L.A. Weekly
Too sensitive for this world or any other, this stifling portrait of a family stuck in bereavement offers the painful sight of at least two highly accomplished actors frozen for lack of direction from novice writer-director Josh Sternfeld.
