The Ice Storm(1997)

Storyline

• During the 1973 Thanksgiving weekend, the Hoods are - relationship-wise, skidding out-of-control, isolated from each other; Benjamin reels from drink-to-drink, His wife, Elena's losing patience with Ben's incessant lies. Home for the holidays, their son, Paul, heads into Manhattan, in search of a rich girl from his prep school. Wendy, the teenage daughter, roams the neighborhood, exploring the liquor and lingerie of her friends' parents, looking for something - anything - new. Then, an ice storm hits, and their problems seem inconsequential, and nothing will ever be the same. — Emory Herbertson Thanksgiving, 1973. We meet two dysfunctional families living in New Canaan, Connecticut. The Hoods are Ben and Elena and their children Paul (16) and Wendy (14). The Carvers are Jim and Janey and their teenage sons Mikey and Sandy. Ben is having an affair with Janey. Paul spends most of his time at boarding school but is coming home for Thanksgiving. Wendy and Mikey are in a relationship, of sorts. Sandy is infatuated with Wendy. One night all their relationship and family issues reach a tipping point. — grantss During Thanksgiving, 1973, the seasons changing, politically and physically. As the Watergate scandal unfolds in the background, the inhabitants of New Canaan, Conneticut begin to slip into a void of isolation from each other. As the ice storm approaches, each of their lives spin chaotically around them, Their actions - adultery, sexual experimentation, drug use and petty crimes - become increasingly unpredictable and impulsive. When the storm hits, reality sinks in, and the severity of their situation becomes all too apparent in its bitter aftermath. — Samuel Kates