This is a wholesome yet dramatic movie about a gifted girl who deals with disabilities, namely dyslexia and A.D.D. Her name is Winter Knight, and her mother, Olivia, is a good mother, supportive of her and always there for her. The one thing that Olivia falls short on is that she can’t see how Winter would be able to ever use her artistic ability to earn a living. For Olivia, school and learning is everything, with Winter’s art being more of a hobby.
The movie opens with a young Winter going to a shed and re-discovering an artistic rendering of a snowflake she made as a child. It is a remarkable piece of work in its simplicity, especially considering it was made when she was a child. Kyra Wilson plays the young Winter and Anne Marie Ryan portrays her when she is a young adult. Natalie King plays Olivia.
As often happens with children with disabilities, young Winter tells her mother that, “I’m just stupid and you know it!” “Don’t ever say that!” responds her mom, sternly.
Winter is good friends with a girl named Sage, and Sage is supportive of her. Sage happens to be an excellent speller, and she tells Winter she knows she is going to do well. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to brag,” she tells Winter.
During one sequence in the film, Winter climbs up to Sage’s roof, and climbs in her window to her bedroom. Winter is depressed and doesn’t want to be found, and Sage hides her. However, as many of the town’s people begin to search for her, we see Olivia, who is wracked with worry, and crying. Eventually a man with a flashlight spots footprints on Sage’s family’s roof, and Winter is found. Winter’s dad tells her there are consequences for her behavior, so she is not allowed to see her best friend Sage for an entire month.
The film does a good job in contrasting Winter’s struggles in her studies, yet her continued brilliance in her artistic drawings and paintings is undeniable. Winter hates school early in the going but longs to cope with it and her friendship with Sage and her love of drawing helps her stay the course with her studies. As Dr. Newman in the film states, Winter is a very intelligent girl with a high I.Q. but she has the learning disabilities as well.
In a few interesting scenes we see Winter reading books upside down, which happens to be easier for her to do, due to the dyslexia. In one important conversation in the movie, Sage compares Winter to Leonardo da Vinci, and tells her that some say he had dyslexia too.
Winter, as a teenager, tries various jobs but seems to always lose them. In one job she answers a phone for a business but always drops the calls when she tries to transfer the calls. In another job, at a clothing store, she accidentally charges a lady twice for a purchase. One interesting scene involves her working at a coffee shop, which won’t last long, but she draws excellent images of her customers on their Styrofoam cups.
The movie does a good job in demonstrating the importance of friendship. Winter winds up befriending an elderly lady named Margaret, who is losing her memory. She does remember her daughter, Emily, and mentions she hasn’t seen her in years. Winter takes flowers and cookies to Margaret, and she is a good friend to her. And she happens to drop in to visit her just when Margaret has had a stroke. Margaret’s daughter, Emily, will play an intriguing part in helping Winter in her future career.
The film also does a good job in showing the importance of not giving up. Just after she has burned some of her art in frustration, Winter receives an offer, a sale, on one of her paintings. The music in the movie is good too. It features a song about healing in the name of the Lord and that God can make broken things beautiful. And the theme of unconditional love is nicely examined in this movie. This film has procured our Dove seal for Ages 12+.
The Dove Take
This film offers hope for those who struggle, and it emphasizes the importance of supporting the talents and abilities of others.
