anyone who saw alan rickman's finely-realized performances in truly madly deeply and sense and sensibility will be unsurprised that the actor-turned-director is a bit of a poet at heart . 
however , for those who recall him only as the maniacal villain of die hard and robin hood : prince of thieves , this recognition may be something of a shock . 
nevertheless , " poetic " is an excellent term to describe rickman's feature debut as a director , the winter guest . 
the film has a simple , unhurried rhythm that uses all of the available elements to fashion a successful whole . 
the result is an occasionally haunting , sometimes magical , and always insightful human drama . 
the winter guest isn't about resolving plot threads and advancing a story line ; it's about exploring relationships and examining life in all of its stages . 
the winter guest does not tell a traditional tale , nor does it ascribe to a conventional narrative structure ? there is no real beginning or end . 
instead , we are given an opportunity to observe one day in the lives of eight humans . 
they represent both sexes , multiple generations , and a variety of relationships ? male and female ; young , middle-aged , and elderly ; friends , would-be lovers , and kin . 
we see expectations fulfilled and disappointed , emotional boundaries eroded , and truths unveiled . 
there is comedy and tragedy . 
most importantly , much of what transpires during the course of the winter guest will find an echo in our own lives ? in this fiction can be found much truth . 
the setting is small town in scotland on the coldest day of the year . 
it's so frigid that the sea has begun to freeze over . 
the onshore wind cuts like a knife and snow blankets the beach , giving the terrain an alien appearance . 
it is against this backdrop that the relationships of the film are captured . 
there are four pairings , and , although there is some interaction between the different twosomes , the winter guest's focus is on the dynamics internal to each relationship . 
the first , meatiest pairing is that of elspeth ( phylida law ) and her recently-widowed daughter , frances ( emma thompson ) . 
these two have a stormy relationship . 
they love each other deeply , but both are stubborn and willful , and neither is willing to admit that they need the other . 
much of their interaction is argumentative , but , during the course of a long walk to the frozen shoreline , they come to an unspoken understanding of how much each means to the other . 
frances' adult son , alex ( gary hollywood ) , is a lonely young man who has been caring for his mother since the death of his father . 
on this day , he meets a girl , nita ( arlene cockburn ) , who has secretly been spying on him for weeks . 
although their first encounter is antagonistic ( she throws a snowball at him ) , both quickly become aware of an undeniable attraction . 
once they retire to a place where they can be alone , however , things don't go exactly as planned . 
lily ( sheila reid ) and chloe ( sandra voe ) are a couple of old friends who are frequent funeral attendees . 
death is a topic of endless fascination for them , perhaps because they are so close to it , and they spend their spare time scanning the obituaries , looking for the next funeral or cremation in the area . 
it doesn't matter whether or not they knew the deceased . 
it's the ceremony that they're interested in . 
sam ( douglas murphy ) and tom ( sean biggerstaff ) , a pair of schoolboy chums , are spending this cold february day cutting classes and hanging out at the beach , horsing around , building a small fire for warmth , and walking on the frozen water . 
unlike lily and chloe , these two have their entire lives ahead of them . 
they are young enough to still believe in magic , but old enough to recognize that the process of crossing into adulthood robs life of the simple joy that only children can experience . 
the acting is strong and believable . 
the mixture of veteran performers and first-timers is effective , with the most successful choice being the casting of real-life mother and daughter phylida law and emma thompson in the most prominent roles . 
there is a chemistry in their interaction that would be hard to replicate with two different , non-related actors . 
and , of course , the physical resemblance makes it that much easier to accept elspeth and frances as parent and child . 
the winter guest began its life as a stage play in 1995 , with rickman as the director . 
four of the film's principals , phylida law , arlene cockburn , sheila reid , and sandra voe , appeared in the theatrical version before moving to the film . 
unlike several recent motion pictures adapted from plays , the winter guest has been successfully opened up . 
the rough , bleak scottish countryside becomes as much of a character as any of the eight humans . 
in fact , considering how important the climate is to every relationship under rickman's microscope , it could be argued that this is the single most important element of the movie . 
if you appreciate character studies , the winter guest is a solid effort with enough power to stay with you after you have left the theater .