Snowpiercer • The Next Reel

“Know your place. Keep your place. Be a shoe." Bong Joon-ho’s “Snowpiercer” made waves upon its US release because its distributor decided to give it a limited theatrical release the same day they released it digitally. It was a risky move — theatre owners rely on the window between theatrical release and subsequent releases to remain around six months roughly so as to ensure they get as much money out of the screenings as they can. By shutting this window, “Snowpiercer” could have left theatre owners in the cold and been deemed not worth watching because of the “straight to video” tarnish. But it found an audience in both formats and became a surprise hit. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we finish our Bong Joon-ho series with his 2013 film “Snowpiercer.” We talk about how the film is a pretty straightforward allegory in a sci-fi post-apocalytic world that audience members need to buy into if the film is going to work, and what happens if people don’t buy into that concept. We chat about the performances, notably Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton, and how well everyone works in the film. We discuss the cinematography, costume design, production design and score and ruminate on how much they all bring to the table. And we touch on the original French source material for this film which, unfortunately, neither of us have read. It’s a wonderful science fiction film that works well for us — even though we know it can be divisive. Check out the movie then tune in! Film Sundries Snowpiercer — “The Abridged Script” Original theatrical trailer Original poster artwork Snowpiercer Vol. 1 — Graphic Novel (English) Flickchart Trailers of the Week Andy’s Trailer: Hitchcock/Truffaut — “I love Hitchcock and Truffaut. I love the book. I love the people interviewed here. This sounds like an amazing look behind the curtain with lots of great nuggets of film knowledge. One for every film buff." Pete’s Trailer: Partisan — “Vincent Cassel is one of my favorite faces, and he brings it in this mentor/mentee commune thriller in which the apprentice, so to speak, becomes the master. Remind me not to take my son to this movie." The Next Reel Family of Film Shows:Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements | The Film Board | Movies We Like | The Next Reel | Sitting in the DarkConnect With Us:Web | Letterboxd | Flickchart | Instagram | Bluesky | YouTube | DiscordYour Hosts: Andy | PeteMerch Store | Audible