Whitewash

In rural Quebec, drunken Bruce (Thomas Haden Church) accidentally kills a man during a snowstorm with his snowplow. He hides the body and drives away into the woods. He wakes up to discover his machine is stuck in the snow. As he tries to get his machine out, the paranoia and his guilt starts to drive him mad. Flashbacks reveal that the dead man was Bruce's house guest Paul (Marc Labrècheas). Paul tried to commit suicide and keeps trying to take advantage of Bruce's generosity. It becomes obvious that this is more than a simple accident.

It's an interesting performance from Thomas Haden Church. Paul is an off-putting character and Marc Labrècheas is good. It is still a tiring movie where everything is so serious. The movie grinds down the audience. I have no particular rooting interest in Bruce. His struggle is not compelling and his 'friendship' with Marc is questionable. I guess a drunk is likely to make stupid decisions.

Whitewash is the first full-length film from Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais. Because he is not that experienced with writing and directing, I feel I should be gentle with this review, as I do not want to discourage Emanuel—he shows some definite promise with this film. Whitewash has many qualities that show he's on the right track with his career and he should definitely keep working at improving his craft. The problem, however, is that the movie has very, very, very limited appeal and I cannot see it being a commercial success.

The film stars the familiar actor, Thomas Hayden Church and it was quite the coup getting him for this project. You'll probably know him from such TV shows as Ned and Stacy and Wings but he also has been in quite a few films—including the critically acclaimed Sideways.

The story is set in Canada and most everyone, other than Church's character, speaks French. It begins with him driving his snow plow down the road during a bad storm and running over a guy who is standing in the road! Inexplicably, instead of contacting the police, since it appears to be just an accident, he buries the body in the wilderness. Soon after this, he wrecks his plow and is stuck—and it might just be because he's drunk…though you really aren't sure. Why he doesn't just go for help is difficult to fathom initially and slowly during the course of the film you realize that there's more to the story.

This film is told through a very familiar method in recent years—telling the story out of sequence. It seems like the story was chopped up and pieces of the beginning middle and end are all mixed together. I have liked this style in some films, though I must say that perhaps this style is a bit overused and it makes the film a bit confusing. This is not the only reason that I think that the film is for a very select audience. I say this also because Church is pretty much THE star of the film and he is in all the scenes in the film. Much of the time, he's all alone and talks to himself while hiding out in the woods—and this sort of film is certainly not one to appeal to anyone wanting action or traditional story telling. Additionally, he's not a particularly sympathetic character in the film—further lessening the film's appeal. Now none of this is to say it's a bad film—it isn't. It is unique and may appeal to some people who feel like they've seen it all and want something different. As for me, I respect the project—but I also didn't particularly enjoy it nor could I see myself recommending it to friends. Instead, I say let's see what else Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais can do in the future, as his directing style seems solid—I just think the story was one that doesn't have widespread appeal.

A very curious film, that's for sure and I can easily say that I've never seen anything like it. Considering that I've written over 16,000 reviews (mostly on IMDb), this is saying a lot.

Whitewash on paper sounds like the most boring film ever made but as a film, Whitewash is an excellent story of survival as Bruce, Thomas Haden Church, a local snow plow driver and a drunk in a rural Quebec town who accidentally kills a man while driving his plow on a stormy evening. Out of a drunken paranoia, he hides out in the wilderness during a severe storm. In the time that he is by himself, he reflects back on the events that got him where he is. This film is absolutely fantastic. It is paced beautifully and gives the audience just enough, minute by minute to keep the audience interested. Writer/Director Emanuel Hoss- Desamaris proves he is one hell of a director. Equal parts psychological thriller and survival drama, Desamaris does a wonderful job blending these genres, filling the void with a clever voice-over from Bruce. Thomas Haden Church is absolutely phenomenal here, flawless in his performance. To be able to take a film and carry it from start to finish is no easy feat for an actor and for Church to be able to pull it off effortlessly really makes you question why this guy isn't in more stuff because he is truly mesmerizing here. Cinematographer André Turpin does an amazing job here as well, chronicling the harsh environment Bruce is in all while delivering extreme suspense in certain scenes, it is really well done and with the added snow merely intensifies his imagery here. It is very close to Roger Deakins and Conrad Hall's work. Another highlight with this film is the score by Serge Nakauchi Peletier. It is a beautiful piece of music that fit the film perfectly and if the cinematography or the acting doesn't cut it for you, the score sure as hell will. Out of the box and absolutely triumphant, Whitewash is a relentless psychological drama that uses ever minute of its runtime wisely and has Thomas Haden Church in a career best performance.

A Canadian drama; A story set in snowy rural Quebec about a man who makes himself prisoner following a tragic accident. The main theme of this tale is that a good deed that turns bad does not go unpunished. It's well acted, with Haden Church bringing some humour and an impressive monologue to what is a tragic development for his character. It's a slender film, but it does have some impact as a crime and punishment tale.

Thomas Haden Church has made some decent films. This one falls short. The script and performances are decent, but the pace is slow. The story is played out flashback style and has some good moments, but never gains momentum. It centers on Church hiding out in the wintery woods, and spending a lot of time wandering around. The end resolves nothing. It's worth a watch, but is nothing special.