The last of my festive-season movies is far from festive, but you still get a gift from me: become a paying Substack subscriber now and get 50% off your first year.
Welcome to a snowy New Year’s Eve, though whether it’s a happy one depends on which side of the revolution you find yourself in 2014’s Snowpiercer.
The apocalypse has come, and it’s a cold one (the result of a failed attempt to fix global warming). The survivors huddle on a high-speed train that circumnavigates planet Earth once per year. The uprising of the downtrodden poor in the back of the train — led by Chris Evans — against those living in comfort and luxury in the front cars — led by Tilda Swinton — stops, well, cold, for the countdown to the bridge crossing that marks the end of one global circuit and the start of another.
Will the new year bring renewal to an unequal, unjust society, or merely more of the same stagnation? The same question clings to the real world tonight, too…
US: stream on Hulu and Netflix; rent/buy on Prime (currently $4.99 to buy) and Apple TV
UK: stream on Lionsgate+ and Mubi (both via Prime); rent on BFI Player and Curzon Home Cinema; rent/buy on Prime (currently £1.99 to rent) and Apple TV
See Snowpiercer at Letterboxd for more viewing options.
