In the harsh, wintry woods of rural Quebec, Bruce (Thomas Haden Church), a down-on-his-luck snowplow operator, accidentally kills a man during a drunken night joyride. Stricken with panic, he hides the body and takes to the deep wilderness in hopes of outrunning both the authorities and his own conscience. But as both begin to close in, Bruce falls apart mentally and morally and mysteries unravel to reveal who he was before the accident, the truth behind his victim, and the circumstances that brought them together in a single moment.
Largely because of a pitch-perfect final line and a Haden Church performance that brings a dose of needed compassion, Whitewash manages to keep its footing.
– Tomas Hachard,
NPR,
1 May 2014
rotten:
The viewer is left in a snowblind limbo that makes it awfully difficult to stay engaged.
– Jenni Miller,
AV Club,
1 May 2014
fresh:
An airtight demonstration of the maxim that no good deed ever goes unpunished.
– David Fear,
Time Out,
2 Apr 2014
fresh:
Thomas Haden Church bridges the credibility gap in snowed-in fugitive tale.