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Smilla's Sense of Snow

Smilla's Sense of Snow

Drama · Thriller · 1997

Smilla Jaspersen attempts to understand the death of a small boy who falls from the roof of her apartment building. Suspecting wrongdoing, Smilla uncovers a trail of clues leading towards a secretive corporation that has made several mysterious expeditions to Greenland.

Movie details

Smilla's Sense of Snow

“Some Tracks Should Never Be Uncovered.”

1997 Drama · Thriller 2h 1m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

Smilla Jaspersen attempts to understand the death of a small boy who falls from the roof of her apartment building. Suspecting wrongdoing, Smilla uncovers a trail of clues leading towards a secretive corporation that has made several mysterious expeditions to Greenland.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Smilla's Sense of Snow?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Bille August

Written by

Ann Biderman

Julia Ormond

Julia Ormond

Smilla Jasperson

Gabriel Byrne

Gabriel Byrne

The Mechanic

Richard Harris

Richard Harris

Dr. Andreas Tork

Jim Broadbent

Jim Broadbent

Dr. Lagermann

Tom Wilkinson

Tom Wilkinson

Prof. Loyen

Robert Loggia

Robert Loggia

Moritz Jasperson

Vanessa Redgrave

Vanessa Redgrave

Elsa Lübing

Court is in session

Put Smilla's Sense of Snow on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.