Film Review - Never Gonna Snow Again (2021)

If you could sum up Never Gonna Snow Again in two words then it would most certainly be ‘magic realism’ – for this is a film that combines the most enchanting surrealism with the most grounded of narratives, and the result is an incredibly intriguing and visually beautiful film.

Co-written and co-directed by Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert (who also takes on the role of cinematographer), Never Gonna Snow Again follows mysterious masseur Zhenia. A Russian-speaking immigrant, he finds work providing life-affirming massages to the wealthy cliental of a gated community in Poland. Zhenia is played by Alec Utgoff who puts in a great performance and appears almost otherworldly. He has the grace and beauty of a dancer, yet he is always stoic and rarely reactive. As the film progresses, the audience gets to see that there is much more to Zhenia then meets the eye. We learn that Zhenia has links to Chernobyl and mourns for his mother. Grief and yearning is a central theme in Never Gonna Snow Again.

The film is often about stark contrasts. Zhenia spends his days visiting the mansions of the gated community. These mansions are pristinely white in colour and filled with material goods. Whilst at night, Zhenia returns home to a dull, small and sparsely furnished high-rise apartment. The divide between the rich and the poor could not be more obvious. At times the rich clients are satirised for their tastes which allows for some comic moments, but Never Gonna Snow Again never veers into mockery.

Never Gonna Snow Again was chosen as the Polish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it didn’t receive a shortlist nomination. This is a shame because Never Gonna Snow Again deserves to find a wider audience. It is a meditative and unique film that is awash in symbolism and has a lyrical quality to it. Often Never Gonna Snow Again watches almost like a bedtime story – it is lulling and peaceful but there is much bubbling beneath the surface.

Over the closing credits, the audience learns that the title refers to a theory that 2025 will be the last time we experience snowfall due to the climate crisis. Whether this is true or not, this statement certainly packs its intended punch. Never Gonna Snow Again leaves the audience with much to think about. Perhaps it will snow again – when all is right with the world.