A poignant, lyrical drama about a mother (Hunter), who, in an effort to deal with the grief over the death of her son, travels the back roads of the deep south to settle a score. A story of grief and forgiveness, of looking inward to find a way to move forward.
In a quivering, bone-deep performance, Hunter takes Darcy from a mother encased in guilt to a woman who can acknowledge her shattering loss while still recognizing her right to be alive.
The film leans on contrived setups, further weakened by the literal-minded deployment of Sharon Van Etten's score at key turning points, but Holly Hunter and Carrie Coon enliven the film with psychological nuance.
"Strange Weather" is wise about loss, showing the ripple effects of an untimely death. It is hardly an original concept, yet it handles this subject with the care and integrity it deserves.
There's a tough and mysterious film within Strange Weather, though it doesn't quite escape the strictures of a busy and studiously weird narrative that's governed by formula screenwriting.
