Winter Movie Essentials

Movies are an essential part of life, to me at least. They shape how we see others, giving us the opportunity to momentarily peer into another world and perspective. They can change your mood; one sad ending could have you staring into a wall for 10 minutes, or vice versa, have you skipping around because you were reminded that life is beautiful. 

Besides being entertainment, movies are also indicators of the season. One of the most obvious examples is Christmas movies, of course. Even if you don’t frequently enjoy movies, you know how it feels to bundle up in front of a TV with a warm drink to watch a Christmas movie. However, I believe that people fail to see the larger scale of winter movies. Any movie that feels cold is a winter movie; winter is not required to feature Christmas, but in our society that centers on it, we fail to recognize that.

Elf, The Grinch, Home Alone, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. There is a nearly 100% chance that you have seen at least one of these movies, probably more, and probably more than once. These are great movies, nearly guaranteed to boost your mood. While you may not feel the need to look beyond these movies, I urge you to widen your horizons when it comes to movies that make you feel warm, despite being cold.

As someone who watches over 200 movies a year (it's not a phase, it’s a lifestyle), I hope to give you palatable recommendations that can be added to your annual rotation of winter movies.

The Holdovers

If there is any movie that I need you to watch, it is The Holdovers. Directed by Alexander Payne, this movie follows a student, a teacher, and a lunch lady as they try to navigate the holiday season, despite being stuck in the boarding school where they attend/work. This movie covers topics such as loneliness, grief, and trauma. While that makes it sound like this movie will break your heart, and it will, but it will do so because of how hopeful and warm it makes you feel. 

The main character, Angus, attends a boarding school. Over winter break, the students are supposed to go home; however, he is left by his mother. Paul Hunham, the teacher assigned to look after students who stay, is a seemingly grumpy old man. Over the course of the story, they recognize that the other is fighting invisible battles in their life. Both begin angry and frustrated, but over time, they learn that they can help each other by granting more grace. This movie is for my peers and older adults. Anyone can see themselves in some aspect of the characters. In about 80% of the movie, it is snowing, and it is as if you can feel it through the screen.

Some of my favorite reviews:

“There’s a handshake in this that feels more overwhelmingly warm and emotional than most hugs I’ve seen in movies.”

“Hit it out of the park for me, probably goes even harder with a bowl of soup.”

The Silence of the Lambs

I really want to emphasize that winter movies are much more than Christmas movies, because not everyone may celebrate Christmas. One of my favorite cold movies, and one of my favorite movies of all time, is The Silence of the Lambs. This is Johnathan Demme’s masterpiece, which follows a young detective, Clarice Starling, trying to solve the case of a serial killer nicknamed Buffalo Bill. This movie is cold in both setting and theme, where Clarice has to navigate a system governed by men and try to be taken seriously in her field. Most of her searches take place in the cold/snow, and scenes are very slow, so the audience is forced to sit in the cold with her and see the condensation her breath makes. I must head caution, because this can get quite scary and uncomfortable. It is about a gruesome case, and it can get a bit weird at times. 

Honestly, it feels like when you’re cold, the heater is broken, and at any minute it can turn on, but until then you’re forced to sit in it.

Little Women (2019)

This movie could definitely count as an all-year-round movie, but its themes of the importance of family, blood and not blood-related, along with its snow scenes, can make any watcher feel warm. This follows a family of four sisters as they navigate life in the aftermath of the Civil War. There’s love, dreams of a better life, and heartbreak. It has definitely been a minute since I have seen this, but it is a Christmas-time must. There are two versions, and while I have not seen the 1994 version yet, the 2019 version is very inspiring and demonstrates many different perspectives of women during this time. 

Honorable Mentions

The Thing: This is a horror movie set in Antarctica, where it is desolate and lonely. I have yet to see this movie, but from what I know, it is freezing, terrifying, and enticing.

The Shining: You must know about this movie, but neglect its relation to winter and Christmas. The Torrance family did not have a very warm Christmas.

The season of winter is so enticing because of how cold it is, yet it is the time of year that we feel most connected to each other. Christmas movies are honestly one of the last things that our society can come together and agree are amazing. This winter break, I hope you indulge in a winter movie, regardless of whether it is on this list.