Amazon.com Essentials:
Asian American director Ang Lee sums up America in the early
1970s by focusing on the arrival of the sexual revolution in the
'burbs. Isolationism within a family, consumerism, and selfishness are
personified by a cast that captures the self-obsession within two New
England families. As the children struggle awkwardly with adolescence,
their parents stumble through sexual experimentation. In the days of
Watergate and Vietnam, society is breaking boundaries and ignoring
convention. Following suit, these families are eschewing polite
barriers and social taboos, with disastrous results. The "ice storm"
of the title refers not only to a natural phenomenon but is a (rather
heavy-handed) metaphor for a pervasive emotional temperament. The
entire cast delivers textured, finely nuanced performances. This movie
lingers in the psyche not only for the scope of the tragedy at its
conclusion, but for Lee's often humorous and stingingly accurate
assessment of pop culture. Based on
Rick Moody's novel, this
won the best-screenplay award at Cannes in 1997. --Rochelle
O'Gorman
