Comedian Daniel Tosh does a routine where he talks about he likes southern California as there's only one season there. I don't exactly prescribe to that line of thinking, but I can understand where he's coming from. I live in a region where we get all four seasons, but they are all mild (sort of, the summer's are pretty humid). My point is, I can't imagine living somewhere where the seasons are extreme, especially winter. I don't think humans were meant to live in a place where lakes freeze. Of course, my issues with cold weather were only one of the reasons that Angels Crest was such a harrowing experience.

Angels Crest opens on the day after Nates (Ameko Esk Mass Carroll) third birthday party. That morning, it snows. Nate's father, Ethan (Thomas Dekker), who is in his early 20s, decides to take the boy for a drive. They leave their small town and drive to the countryside. There, Ethan parks the truck and spots a group of deer. He decides to follow them into the woods, leaving the sleeping Nate in the truck. When he returns, Nate is gone. Ethan calls the police who form a search party. Ethan's best friend, Rusty (Joseph Morgan), joins the search, and Nate's mother, Cindy (Lynn Collins), who is estranged from Ethan, arrives as well. When Ethan's worst fears are realized, the town becomes divided. Ethan's friend, Jane (Elizabeth McGovern), defend him, but her lover, Roxanne (Kate Walsh), doesn't agree. Local diner owner Angie (Mira Sorvino) is torn on the subject. District attorney Jack (Jeremy Piven), who has a dark past, decides to make an example of Ethan. How can this young man put up with all of that stress?

Let's go ahead and get this out of the way -- Based on a novel by Leslie Schwartz, Angels Crest is a depressing movie. First of all, it presents us with a truly tragic event which sets the drama in motion. From there, we meet the townspeople and find that they are all fairly sad people. The movie skirts the typical dramatic stereotype of having everyone being damaged beyond repair, but no one here seems truly happy, and they each have their issues. Perhaps it's the isolated feeling of the town or a seasonal depression caused by the weather, but the overall vibe is definitely low. The movie does present us with Cindy, who is that truly damaged person. Forced to give up custody of Nate due to her alcoholism, Cindy is a sad character which few redeeming features. On the contrary, Ethan truly loves Nate and wants to be a caring father, but he's immature himself and doesn't have great parenting skills.

The most interesting thing about Angels Crest is the way in which the narrative unfolds. At the outset, the movie looks like it may be sort of a mystery, or perhaps a police procedural, as the case of Ethan's accident is investigated. It also looks like the story may focus on Ethan attempting to re-create what happened. But, these ideas take a backseat to a story which simply focuses on the lives of the townspeople. Yes, the story of Ethan and Nate is the constant thread which connects everyone, but the movie slowly examines how this event effects everyone. In the end, Angels Crest puts everyone under a microscope and the way in which these individuals move through their lives becomes the story.

Angels Crest may take a unique approach to addressing a familiar kind of story, but it does have some issues. First of all, it asks us to accept a somewhat flimsy premise from the very start. Ethan leaving his toddler son in a truck in the middle of a blizzard is admittedly a little hard to swallow. Yes, the point of the movie is that this was an unwise move, but it can certainly be a hurdle. In addition, while the movie is examining the lives of the characters, a few too many details are merely hinted at or left unexplored. This gives things an uneven feel, as we know certain things, but are left to wonder about others. Still, Angels Crest has the nerve to take a topic which would normally be at home in a LifeTime movie and treat it in a mature and respectful manner.

Angels Crest made me crave the turkey special on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Magnolia Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 28 Mbps. The image is sharp and clear, showing only a hint of grain and no defects from the source material. Many shots take place with a snowy white background, so the lack of grain is impressive. The colors look good, and the image is never overly dark or bright. The depth of the image is extremely impressive, as the characters stand out nicely from the white backgrounds. The level of detail is pleasing as well. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 2.0 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The track is most impressive during the search party scene, as we can hear the calls for Nate coming from the front and rear channels. The film's score sounds very good. The scenes in the diner provide good stereo effects.

The Angels Crest Blu-ray Disc contains a few extras. The Disc houses five DELETED SCENES which run about 14 minutes. We learn that the movie was originally going to be called "Drift" and the alternate opening shows us what was going on before the credits in the final cut. The alternate ending is more ambiguous than the one in the finished film and features some great editing. We get interviews with Thomas Dekker (16 minutes) and Mira Sorvino (10 minutes) who talk about their involvement in the movie. "HDNet: A Look at Angels Crest" (5 minutes) contains clips from the movie and comments from Dekker and Sorvino lifted from the interviews we just saw. The final extra is the THEATRICAL TRAILER for the film.