Synopsis

During Thanksgiving weekend in 1973, two affluent Connecticut families struggle with marital dissatisfaction, adolescent confusion, and the changing social values of the era. As the adults pursue affairs and experimentation, their children test emotional and sexual boundaries of their own. When a severe ice storm strikes, the family's carefully maintained suburban facade gives way to grief, honesty, and unexpected connection.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film adapts Rick Moody's 1994 novel, with James Schamus writing the screenplay.

• The Ice Storm premiered in competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival on May 12, 1997. Schamus won the festival's Award for Best Screenplay.

• The production recreated the frozen landscape with hoses and a water truck, spraying streets and trees during nighttime shoots. The crew also encountered a real ice storm, and a small amount of that footage was retained after digital removal of snow from the ground.

• To help establish the period, the cast studied large collections of magazine clippings from the early 1970s.

• Although the story takes place in November, principal photography began in April 1996. The greenery visible in some exterior scenes reflects the spring production schedule.

• Lee and Schamus deliberately commissioned an original score by Mychael Danna rather than relying mainly on period pop songs. Their aim was to avoid making the film feel like a nostalgia collection.

• The film received a director-approved 2K restoration for its Criterion Collection release, which also includes interviews with Rick Moody and members of the production.