Reese Holdin (Zooey Deschanel) is a twenty-something year old misfit living in New York City with her kitten, who’s dying of Leukemia.  When she’s not performing on the stage (in unknown plays) she works as a bartender.  Reese spends her free time drinking, smoking, snorting crack-cocaine, having sex with men who are practically strangers, and slamming her hand in drawers to punish herself for mistakes; this is until she meets a book editor in a bar.  The editor, (Amy Madigan) wants her to go to her childhood home and dig up a box of old love letters sent between her parents, to be published.  At first, Reese is unwilling to oblige the editor’s requests, however, after some consideration, she decides to get on a bus for Michigan.  When she returns home, much to her surprise, nothing is as she left it.  Her father (Ed Harris) is busy grieving the recent death of her mother in some of the oddest ways possible, and two other people have moved in with him; Shelly (Amelia Warner) a grad student of his, and Corbit (Will Ferrell) an odd wanna-be musician.  As the days drag by, Reese starts to come to terms with who she is, what her life has become, and why her parents always acted the way they did.  By returning home, Reese certainly doesn’t find what she wanted, but she does find what she needs.

                In my opinion, Zooey Deschanel and Will Ferrell have never given better performances in their entire careers.  Deschanel is extraordinary in the leading role.  She plays the part with such grace and ease that it is hard to believe that she really isn’t Reese Holdin.  I truly believe that half the reason this movie is so unforgettable is because of all the different emotions and feelings Zooey is able to conjure up, simply by her facial expressions.  She brings the character to life.  Whether we snort drugs in our free time or use self-mutilation as a form of punishment or not, everyone, in some way, can relate to Reese.   She is on a journey; a journey to find her purpose in life, a journey to realize why she is the way she is and if she’s even okay with that.  Throughout the entire film, Reese has many not so happy confrontations with her father and with Shelly, the grad student living in her father’s home.  Corbit (Ferrell), the not-so-stereotypical, “Christian rocker” is the comic relief in this dramatic representation of a could-be real life story.  His odd way of dressing, his extreme way of protecting Reese’s father, and his quirky way of saying grace before dinner all add to this film, both comedically and emotionally.  Outstanding performances are also given by Ed Harris, Amelia Warner, Amy Madigan, and all other minor actors in this film.  

                Winter Passing is unlike any film I’ve ever seen before.  It touched me in a way that no other film has been able to touch me, since Andrew Largeman went searching for his life’s purpose after his mother’s death in, Garden State.  I, wholeheartedly, give this movie five out of five stars and suggest that everyone, whether you’re searching for life’s meaning and your true self or not, sees this film.  It is well worth an hour and a half of your time.