The Ice Storm

The talented Ang Lee directs this film about uneasy family relationships in the restess, promiscuous 1970s with crystalline precision. As the leaders of two archly funny but disturbingly bleak suburban clans, Kevin Kline, Joan Alen and Sigourney Weaver give refreshingly honest performances, but the film's ending sadly offers their characters no hint of redemption. The ice storm, as a natural symbol of change and the wiping away of sins, is like Noah's flood without the rainbow.