The Snow Sister 2024 Movie Review

Why do children have imaginary friends? It could simply be because they’re lonely, or it could be a creative outlet, but it could also be to deal with some sort of trauma. In The Snow Sister, when a girl named Hedvig comes into Julian’s life, she almost seems like an imaginary friend. She’s not, though. Julian begins the tale of The Snow Sister with a disclaimer: “This is the story of how I became best friends with Hedvig and then lost her.” Already you know this is a story set for doom, but don’t worry; it’ll still keep up the Christmas spirit. The Norwegian film, at its heart, is about finding one’s footing after a great fall. This doesn’t strictly apply to the protagonist alone; it applies to his entire family, and it’s the journey of how he makes his parents come back to normalcy that The Snow Sister covers.

The film is short and sweet, and both the children in the leading roles are absolutely fantastic. Mudit Gupta is simple yet bold in The Snow Sister. He carries the film on his tiny shoulders with ease and grace, and not for a moment do you feel like this is a children’s movie. On the other hand, we have Celina Meyer Hovland as Hedvig, who is the opposite of Julian in every way. While one might scream the Christmas spirit, the other looks like the embodiment of what it’s like to go back to work after the holiday season. The kids do a great job at furthering the story, which sometimes seems predictable and at other times too drab for a Christmas film, but it looks like grief is a favorite in terms of themes for movies this year. Whatever genre you pick, whether it be horror, comedy, or Christmas films, there is at least one movie, which, I apologize for my impoliteness, includes the death of a family member. I guess it’s an easy tool for storytelling, or maybe it’s just something I’ve noticed recently. Only just a few days ago I had the chance to see Dear Santa, which also happens to be about grieving.

As it happens, the last time I watched a Norwegian movie, it was also a Christmas film, but one that didn’t quite have an impact on me, Christmas As Usual. Now that film was about an Indian man trying to impress his soon-to-be Norwegian in-laws, and I’ve got to admit, it wasn’t very great, and the comedy didn’t really land. The Snow Sister, on the other hand, may have reminded me a little bit of Bridge To Terabithia, solely because it’s about a lonely young boy who befriends a delightful young girl. Yes, this film isn’t as adventurous or as (spoiler alert) sad as the former, but it still delivers a sweet and fulfilling message. Also, I cannot go without talking about Julian’s other friend John, who brings in the comic timing to the film. On the surface it looks like John doesn’t have much to do; he simply talks about the weather, which irritates Julian, but he’s actually trying to break out of his shell and get through to his dear friend, which is honestly very adorable.

Yes, The Snow Sister is a Christmas film, so it follows many of the holiday tropes, but it’s also a film about a child’s perspective of grief. I especially love Julian’s relationship with his younger sister Augusta; their moments together are both tender and entertaining. Hedvig’s dialogue is all super catchy, excessively fast, and over-excited, and it sounds best in the original Norwegian; still, I’ve got to admit the English dub is nearly as good and even had me thinking for a second that it is an English film. But of course, if you can, try to watch it in the original language for the full experience.

Now I can’t go without speaking about the visuals of a Christmas movie, because let’s face it, this is what we’re really here for. From the get-go, this film looks absolutely magical, set in the snowy Norwegian landscape. As much as the plot itself is deeply set in reality, there’s a fantastical nature to the film, not only in what’s going on but visually too, and this makes it ethereal to watch. Oh, and you might want to keep that hot chocolate ready before you sit down to watch the film; believe me, you’ll want to have some. The adults in this film are basically vestigial, except for Henrik, who looks like a character straight out of Harry Potter, or might I say, St. Nicholas himself. There’s some artwork in this film that is absolutely beautiful, and one of the scenes reminded me of One Direction’s Story Of My Life music video.

The truth is, while this could be marketed as a children’s movie, because it is about how children deal with grief, in truth, it applies to adults too. The film is quite emotional in bits and based on a tear-jerker novel, so you can imagine it’s pretty well written. Also, some of the scenes could be a bit scary for young children. This is your spoiler warning; skip ahead to the next paragraph if you don’t want any spoilers. This is for the ones with kids. A girl drowns in a swimming pool, and there are scenes where Julian fears he’s being followed by a strange man, which could be a bit much.

At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a unique Christmas film that doesn’t feel full of pomp and cheer and overly celebratory, then this might be the perfect film for you. It might be sad, but it’s also hopeful and courageous, pushing the viewer to smile by the end of it. The Snow Sister isn’t your typical Christmas movie, yet it follows many of the usual tropes and visuals that remind you that it is indeed set in the holiday season. Don’t worry, it’s not atrociously sad, but if you’ve got a sibling, hold them tight while watching this one. I’d give The Snow Sister 3 out of 5 stars.