Warning: potential spoilers.
First things first; Snowpiercer is gory. Bloodshed is a common cinematic experience throughout this film. If you are not a fan of or disdain massive amounts of violence then this film is not for you.
Indeed, the superfluous violence is a major character trait of humanity - one can even say its legacy. But before I get ahead of myself let’s begin with a short description of the film. The year is 2031 and the world is frozen, the inhabitants of Earth all dead except a selected few that remain on a mammoth train called the Snowpiercer. Designed to remain in perpetual motion by a super engine, the Snowpiercer is a dystopian existence of class warfare. From tail end to front the Snowpiercer is a hierarchical metaphor that even John Green could not fathom. And in this metaphor exists the tails poor, who for the last seventeen years, have been plotting and executing failed rebellions to free themselves from their plight.
It is in the dim, claustrophobic carriage we meet our anti-hero, Curtis and the band of misfits plotting their next revolt in the midst of receiving their daily protein bars, which is, we discover later, of aphidian taste, and a step up from their previous menu (trust me on that). The arctic reality of the outside world is no match to the harsh and chilling truth to humankind’s brutality for survival. Encased in a prison that is in constant stream of unrest, the inhabitants of the tails end reveal the depth of their flaws. Not one character (except, perhaps the children) are without a bloody stain. Left to fend on their own, humans in dire conditions resort to drastic measure for survival —animalistic and savage in nature.
The copious extent of violence in Snowpiercer is gritty and raw. Shot in such a way that in the wake of the carnage you are left feeling exhausted and frightened of its realism, but captivated by the artistry and grace by which a human quickly abandons civility. Color is saturated in gray tones for most of the tail end, and it isn’t until the school scene does the iron rust of lighting give itself to a saturation of bold and vibrant hues. This particular scene reminded me of a similar luminous room from the film Running Scared (the one with Paul Walker) in which the design of bright colors in an apartment intensified the horrors that took place within it. In Snowpiercer most of the violence is shot in cold lighting, which give itself that grainy and rough feeling, but the backdrop of a childlike flush in the school carriage reminds the audience—just for a moment—the innocence of the human condition. It is a breather scene that takes pause after a highly volatile stream of movement. Its purpose is to stress that corruption and violence is a social construct taught to us from a young age. And with the subsequent of bloodshed following it, the horror is the loss of moral virtue in the name of survival.
The existential question of class disparity being necessary to humankind’s survival is tied heavily to the theory of functionalism. The theory is covered under the guise of a messianic message, but essentially the sentiment is the same; all people serve a purpose, in their rightful place. Functionalism depends on the consent and consensus of all people within a social order to maintain the status quo. If, say, there is deviant behavior like a revolt it causes change to that social order, and this is the premise of Snowpiercer. The tail end of society springs into a revolution to create a beneficial social change, yet as our anti-hero finds himself at the door of the founder he reveals his vile and horrific past. To survive starvation cannibalism was endured. Babies, he says, tasted the best. He is not the good man we hoped he was as the leader to a revolution, but this too, reveals a dark truth. Goodness is not an inherent virtue that remains intact. In the tail end, survival is desperation, but in the front end survival means a fact more harrowing than expected. The twist is population control through deliberate and premeditated chaos, which is devised by coconspirators at both ends to maintain this balance. Again, the question remains, is class disparity a vital aspect to humankind’s longevity? A multitude of arguments can be made, but I would say go see the movie and come to your own conclusions.
Snowpiercer is worth the time for it is one of the best films to come out this year if not THE best film. It will surely give you something to ponder long after the train ride is over. If you have yet to see Chris Evans in anything other than Captain America you have deprived yourself of brilliant performances because the dude can act. Along Evans, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Octavia Spencer, Luca Pasqualino, Jamie Bell all shine bright as a beacon in the dark carriages of life’s unrelenting metaphor, and I love them all. Make it happen, people. Go see this movie.
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