Winter Solstice
Release Date:
April 8, 2005
Limited release
Jim Winters (Anthony LaPaglia) is a widower who is attempting to raise his two teenage sons in their humble New Jersey home. The scars left on the boys from their mother's death in a car accident are apparent. For Gabe (Aaron Stanford), the oldest, he longs for nothing more than to leave Jersey and start a new life on the Florida shores. He's willing to do so at any cost and regardless of the feelings of his girlfriend, his younger brother, and his father.
Meanwhile, papa Jim is occupied both with the loss of his wife and the need to get his younger son Pete (Mark Webber) back on the right track and obtaining his high school degree. He's assisted in this task by one of the boy's teachers (Ron Livingston). Pete, on the other hand, is happy to just hang out and shoot hoops with his friends. None of the men are anywhere close to being able to open up about the deeply felt emotions they are experiencing.
Soon, this impasse comes to a head, as a woman named Molly (Allison Janney) comes to the community to housesit for a neighbor. When she comes over to the Winters house to borrow a dolly, she invites the family over for dinner. In the end, though, the boys ditch their dad and he attends alone. The dinner unexpectedly allows him to have an emotional breakthrough, realizing that he just can't continue being "super dad." When he arrives home and the boys are still gone, he decides that they can stay out as long as they want - permanently, if need be. He tosses their mattresses on the lawn and in the morning, finds his load lightened significantly. A huge learning experience for everyone involved is almost certain to follow. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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