Thin Ice (1995)

Directed by: Fiona Cunningham-Reid | 78 minutes | romance, sports | Actors: Charlotte Avery, Sabra Williams, James Dreyfus, Clare Higgins, Ian McKellen, Guy Williams, Barbara New, Martha Freud, Suzanne Bertish, Cathryn Harrison, Eamon Geoghegan, Gwyneth Strong, Nimmy March, Jimmy Gardner, Laura Moore, Linda Carney, Patsy Chilton, Jo Smith, Victoria Lennox, Melissa Hunt, Wendyl Harris, Carole Murcia, Pamela Maynard, Joanna Bowen, Mchael Wade, Jack Freud, Geraldine Sherman

Sympathetic little romantic comedy that – refreshingly – is about the blossoming love between two women. In her second feature film, which she also co-wrote, director Fiona Cunningham-Reid gives the lead actresses the space to credibly portray their unlikely romance. In the class society that England has long been (and partly still is), Natalie and Steffi are polar opposites: the first is a withdrawn, middle-class white woman who still lives at home, and the second is a free-spirited, working-class black woman. Charlotte Avary as Natalie and Sabra Williams as Steffi definitely have chemistry together and their budding romance comes across as very natural.

Unfortunately, the story is as thin as the ice in the title and many plot elements have been dragged in and the whole thing often feels a bit forced. This certainly applies to the figure skating background: it’s actually not that important at all, but a trick to bring Natalie and Steffi together. The subplot about the journalistic piece Steffi is working on with her good friend Greg (James Dreyfus) has little substance. But the apparent disinterest for the story is especially noticeable in the scenes on the ice: they don’t actually do more than a few spins and there is certainly no – as in most sports films – from promise, to setback to eventual triumph in a climax. in which the sports hero and protagonist against all odds nevertheless makes the winning point, takes the gold medal or is the first to cross the line. In that respect, it seems as if the makers have thought that the sporting subject should be figure skating, but have hardly cared about the implementation of such a concept. Also in this respect it is an unconventional film.

However, the usual pattern of the romantic comedy is used: opposites meet, fall in love in spite of themselves, fall into a crisis of trust that causes their growing relationship to break down, after which a reconciliation follows in the last act. It may seem unsurprising, but in the end ‘Thin Ice’ still has something original in store here. The intentions with which the film was shot in a short time and for only 160,000 British pounds make up for a lot. However, the warmth and positive message that ‘Thin Ice’ radiates makes the viewer forget – or at least condone – some technical and weaving flaws in construction and plot. Cunningham-Reid has previously worked behind the scenes, including as a camerawoman and has an eye for the right pictures. The finale was filmed during the 4th edition of the “Gay Games” in New York City in 1994, which also features a small role for Ian McKellen, who is a prominent advocate for equal rights for gays in addition to an impressive film and stage career. . Not a perfect movie, not a brilliant rom-com, but a pleasant and charming film, about the true love between two people, in this case two women.