

In 1983 Owl, North Dakota, the lives of three residents – elderly Horace, who spends his afternoons reminiscing in the local coffee shop; teenage Mitch, depressed backup quarterback star player-power-horse; and newly appointed high school English teacher Julia – along with those of the town's other residents, are upended by a historic whiteout blizzard.
Acting
Ed Harris turning coffee-shop monologues into masterclasses.
Direction
Real-life couple Linklater-Rabe capturing marital rhythm in chaos.
Production
North Dakota winter as the true antagonist.

Director
Hamish Linklater
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Chuck Klosterman's debut novel, written while he was actual music critic for actual small-town North Dakota newspapers.
The blizzard was real: January 1984 brought 100mph winds and -50°F wind chill to North Dakota, grounding production for three days.