An adaptation of British missionary Patricia St. John’s 1950 novel of the same name, Treasures of the Snow directed by Mike Pritchard is a movie for the soul with the two timeless ideals of faith: forgiveness and redemption.
Set in a mountainous Swiss village in the 19th Century, this is the story of 13-year-old Lucien (Paul Dean) who suffers from inner guilt and social condemnation in his community after an act of his bullying leaves a little boy Dani (Timothy Fleetwood) disabled in one leg. With Dani’s sister Annette (Carey Born) determined to hate and shame him to death, Lucien is left shattered and desperate to find a way out of his misery. Then God’s hand moves him to meet an old man living in exile.
The soulful story has been brought to life in full spirit with great filming skills on location in Switzerland and recruiting the best of talent for all the roles. Paul Dean as Lucien does the main job, and to perfection for that. Carey Born as the antagonist who needs to forgive Lucien plays her role equally well. Ted Brown as the old woodcarver living in self-exile makes a lasting impression in a character that parallels Lucien in dealing with guilt and seeking redemption. With his beard, the old man’s character resembles Santa who would gift Lucien the means to enable him to reach his destination.
Treasures of the Snow would be a great example of a movie to show noble ideals expressed through authentic dialogue free of embellishments or exaggeration. This shows not only in the child characters but in all roles. The primary audience is obviously kids but the movie is literally for anyone who has a heart that wants to be touched and a soul that wants expression via a story. It’s a gem from the divine treasure not to be missed!
