Winter Sleepers

Tom Tykwer's 1997 pre-Run Lola Run psychological roundelay tracks the subconscious domino effect of a terrible car accident on an icy mountain road that leaves a little girl hospitalized on the verge of death. The meandering ensemble narrative bounces between the girl's destitute and devastated father, the drunk driver who caused the accident, and a trio of frustrated 20-somethings living in a ski town cabin--all of whom end up being effected by the accident in very indirect ways. Tykwer's innate, distinctive visual and metaphorical style gives the disquieting pic an extremely charged atmosphere, but it goes absolutely nowhere until the last 40 minutes. Optional. (R. Blackwelder)