-Written by Kyle Bain.
A composer (Serra Naiman), credited only as “The Apprentice,” meets with her mentor (Julian López-Morillas) in order to perfect a new piece of music that she is writing called The Snow Leopard. However, her love for her music makes the process challenging, and her desire to be the first woman to make a splash in the world of classical music sees her unable to compromise, unable to find fault in herself or her work.
The Snow Leopard effectively tells a story of how our passion can sometimes stand in the way of our happiness, but that perseverance can often allow us to overcome that struggle. But I think the film is more of the former, more so trying to tell viewers that our passions can ruin us, tear us apart from the inside. As the film comes to an end, there’s a piece of it that I never could have anticipated, something that would have felt completely out of the realm of possibility just moments before. By the time the film comes to an end, drama to the fullest extent is present, and The Snow Leopard becomes a different film than when it began.
I like the sudden shift in the narrative; I like the fact that viewers could have never seen the film’s denouement coming. With the ending sort of coming out of nowhere, The Snow Leopard kept me on my toes, and on the edge of my seat. However, narrative shifts of this magnitude can sometimes feel inauthentic, but not here. Again, while nothing tipped me off to how the film would end, I was able to look back and have a series of “a-ha” moments, realizing, in hindsight, the foreshadowing that existed throughout.
The Snow Leopard is a very tight film, remaining almost entirely in the same house for the entirety of the film–and yet it also feels intentionally messy. Thrown at viewers were a series of conflicting emotions, ones that came about naturally, but sort of became dizzying. Not a critique of this film whatsoever, as I appreciated this aspect of the film as well.
What The Snow Leopard accomplishes better than most films is that it’s able to effectively contain chaos, able to effectively tell a linear and cohesive story through trauma and the sometimes frantic ramblings of The Apprentice. It’s hard to be successful when emotional chaos exists at the core of the film–but The Snow Leopard works in that regard. It’s something you rarely see, and it’s incredibly impressive that Writer-Director Taylor Joshua Rankin is able to construct something like this and for it to work so wonderfully.
The Snow Leopard is a wonderfully immersive film that tells the story of a composer, but extends itself far beyond just that, in a way that allows it to reach all viewers. The sound is impeccable, the acting superb, and the brilliant twist at the end left me shocked in the best way possible.
Written & Directed by Taylor Joshua Rankin.
Starring Serra Naiman, Julian, López-Morillas, Alexandra Simpson, Jenna Flohr, Ivo Bokulić, & Elijah Lacin.
8.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING
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