Trailer on Winter of Frozen Dreams

Winter of Frozen Dreams, now adapted in Hollywood, on Karl Harter’s book, is based on the true story of what would become the first televised trial for murder in U.S history, reportedly. The story reveals the bizarre tale of a brilliant biochemistry student; the top student at the University of Wisconsin, and one of the Madison’s most tarnished prostitutes too. Despite her remarkable education achievement (140+ IQ), Barbara Hoffman (Thora Birch), driven by easy money will leave aside her career to lead a dreadful double life: Killer and part-time employee at a local massage parlor.

How can a bright person be drawn into such a shocking conspire of obsession and murder? Jerry Davies (Brendan Sexton), Barbara’s would-be beau is totally convinced that she could not have committed such crimes. Now, it’s only up to the lackadaisical police Detective Lulling (Keith Carrandine) to prove Barbara’s purported horrible deeds.

The Story: A Perplexing Murder Case

One Charismas night, Barbara Hoffman calls Jerry, her fiancé over to aid her with a problem: there is a dead man lying in her bathroom and she can explain how he got there. Barbara wants to burry the corpse whilst Jerry is suggesting that the police should be aware of the case. After assisting Barbara Hoffman to burry the body of the man in a snow bank, Jerry Davies (Brendan Sexton III), feeling guilt of his act, reported the discovery of a dead body one frigid Christmas morning, insisting that he and Barbara did not committed the crime, but only buried the man’s corpse. They quickly establish themselves as the prime suspects in this confusing murder case.

Barbara Hoffman claims that her pimp, Ray Curtis, is responsible for beating the man to death. The deceased man is then identified as Harry Berge (Dean Moran), a lonely older gentleman who revealed that Barbara was his fiancée as well.

Detective Lulling is trying to pieces together. Meanwhile, Jerry, the only witness to Barbara’s circumstantial claims of innocence, wonders about his own safety. After all, she mandates him to retrieve a life insurance policy amounting $750,000, quite enough to start a new life.

Whilst Barbara Hoffman languishes in prison, she becomes an object of curiosity in the media for her refusal to answer questions relevant to the case or even go before the parole board.  

Directed by Eric Mandelbaum, the movie, Winter of Frozen Dreams, based on a true story of passion, greed and murder in Madison, features decent acting and colorful characters and star: Thora Brich as Barbara Hoffman, Brendan Sexton III as Jerry Davies, Keith Carradine as Detective Lulling, Dan Moran, Adam Ferrara, Colleen Camp, Scott Cohen, and Dean Winters.

Whilst the screenplay is of Michael Graf, John Besmer, Eric Mandelbaum, Michael Caughill and a story of Karl Harter and produced by Anthony Vorhies and Millie Stanisic.

This thriller-mystery is MPAA rated for integrating bad language, sexual content, disturbing images, and featuring some drug material.

Many would find the movie disappointing since we know who gets murdered and by whom, getting aware of the motives of this mysterious crime shortly thereafter.

The Structure of the Story and Criticisms

The first scene begins with a perspective on Barbara Hoffman in court, hearing the verdict of a jury pronouncing she has been found guilty of at least one count of murder. Actually, this scene strictly reflects and echoes the book’s title, putting into fact that Hoffman is indeed the killer. The first scene would also suggest that Director Eric Mandelbaum wanted the audiences know the aftermath of the case, prior to entering into details. Moreover, this could be another way of emphasizing Barbara Hoffman’s murder, a case that is over three decades old, far outshined by many more gaudy and grisly murders over the years that make this case a ‘small crime’.

But, we are quickly propelled into back time, revealing the impetus for Barbara’s alleged endeavors, showing a fast way to potentially make three quarters of a million dollars marrying a man (Dean Moran) with a robust life insurance policy.

Winter of Frozen Dreams is somewhat an extraordinary movie, not just because of the story but because of the structure adopted by the Director of the film. Once viewers establish the dubious endeavor of the protagonist, there seems to be few reasons for flashing back once we all know the outcome –or should I say –the ‘end’ of the story.

The exploitation of flashes back in this movie are, first of all to set up enough ambiguity so as to awake public attention to quest whether Barbara, who has a remarkable mind, was then manipulated or she is indeed a ‘greedy murder’. Actually, we do not know how Barbara’s husband was killed. All that viewers do know, is Barbara tries to cover it up, with the help of naïve Jerry, because she believe that the police would link her to her husband’s death.

Another ‘ambiguity’ is that whether or not Barbara, in true femme fatale fashion, will orchestrate a plan to get ride of her fiancé Jerry, the only witness with enough circumstantial evidence testimony to make authorities log her up. But as viewers already know the ‘end’ of Barbara’s fate from the first scene, the only main question remaining is whether or not Jerry lives to see it.

Certainly, there is a little ambiguity, at least for a short time, but it doesn’t take long before viewers get to understand that Barbara Hoffman is, undeniably, her husband murder.

The book features its ambiguity in a much more beguiling fashion, and maybe Director Eric Mandelbaum should have taken it into consideration. As a result, the movie cannot be recommended as ‘a piece of entertainment’ given the jettisoning of most of the suspenseful elements here above. Conventionally, thrillers and crime mysteries are plot-driven vehicles, which are supposed to integrate the audience’s attention and quest, unlike with this adaptation.

Nonetheless, Mandelbaum deserve to be applauded at least for producing something good, under the budgetary, talent, and time constraints, that he had to deal with.

 All the same, fans of true crime would not be deluded, but rather lured by this sensational story, thanks to the talent invested into a decent story to think a crackling, low-rent crime thread could result.

Winter of Frozen Dreams will be in the theaters coming 05, May 2009. Watch out for 90 minutes of true thriller-mystery.