Snowmen

Here’s a lesser-known film that flew under the radar. Although rated PG, the film deals with mortality quite a bit, and involves finding a dead body in its opening scene, so it may not be suitable for very young viewers.

When he discovers the body of a stranger in the snow, ten-year-old Billy Kirkfield can’t help but think about his own mortality; after undergoing treatment for cancer, he’s worried he may not have long to live. Determined to leave a lasting legacy to prove that he mattered, Billy and his friends decide to break the Guinness World Record for building the most snowmen in a single day. But if they want to have any hope of success, they’ll need to enlist much more help.

After convincing classmates and members of the community to pitch in, Billy’s goal seems within reach, and he’s excited for his name to join the record book. But his dream soon melts away when things don’t pan out the way he’d hoped. Visiting the grave of the stranger whom he had found in the snow, he begins to realize that his self-oriented priorities may have been wrong, and that fame is hardly the most meaningful measure of one’s life. 

Snowmen is a coming-of-age story that balances humor with themes of mortality, legacy, and friendship, exploring the age-old question about how we measure the worth of our lives. Although the premise of a child facing death may be heavy, the movie handles it gracefully, ultimately affirming that our lives have value through how we treat others. The film is rated PG and is family-friendly, but its reflection on mortality may make it more suitable for older children, along with some dramatically intense scenes, crude humor, and minor violence.

Runtime: 1 hour, 26 minutes
Rated PG
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