Colin Farrell is the lead character – orphan Peter Lake, who has enormous heart and soul – letting the audience see through his eyes and experience his joys and sorrows. His journey is full of mystery and surprises, with an emphasis on free will and courage, even though outside forces also play a role. The love story element is bittersweet and starts in an unexpected way when Peter breaks into the home of Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay), who is ill and hidden from the world. Peter falls for her and wants to save her. At the same time, he’s hiding from New York gangster Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe). The movie emphasizes that each character can be more than they seem and love comes in many forms and happens for many reasons. Akiva weaves an emotionally satisfying tale, adapted from the novel Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin. The supporting cast also have compelling moments in the film, including William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly and Matt Bomer.
Special Features: Winter’s Tale: A Timeless Love: How writer/director Akiva and his cast adapted the tale from book to screen; Characters of Good and Evil: Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findley, Jennifer Connelly and Russell Crowe delve into their point of view of the plot and their characters in the film; Deleted Scenes: Excellent scenes that unfortunately did not make it into the final film. ~Andrea Hodgins