There have been many movies over the years depicting the mystery of a parent vanishing out of the blue and never returning. While this is the same major plot point of “White Bird in a Blizzard”, it has various other twists involved that leave you stunned and, to put it simply, amazed when the credits role.

Shailene Woodley, most recently seen in “The Fault in Our Stars”, plays Kat Connors who is just a normal teenager in 1988, hanging out with friends and her boy-next-door boyfriend, Phil (Shiloh Fernandez). However, her life is flipped upside down when her unstable mother, played by Eva Green, disappears. There is no trace of her, leaving Kat indifferent and emotionless while her doormat father, portrayed by Christopher Meloni, becomes lost and confused.

The film takes a time jump to 1991 where Kat is now a college student and still has no answers to her mother’s disappearance, despite her closeness to the detective on the case (Thomas Jane). While home on winter break, Phil drops hints about Kat’s father knowing her mother’s whereabouts, sending Kat into an emotional spiral that may lead to the truth behind the disappearance as well as getting Kat to come to terms with what happened.

Every actor brings something incredible to this book to film adaption. This may be Shailene Woodley’s most emotional role yet and she deserves the positive feedback she is already receiving. Eva Green is just down right creepy, making you cringe in certain scenes of the film while Christopher Meloni is brilliant as the extremely boring husband and plays the perfect push over with barely any emotion left after the toll his wife’s disappearance has taken on him.

The movie is extremely haunting and eerie with fantastic writing, leaving you guessing what the twist will be until the last possible second. The music, a grouping of ‘80s hits, really sets you in the mindset for when the film takes place as well as the punk clothes worn by the teenagers and the still-stuck-in-the-70s style worn by the adults.

While the movie isn’t released in theaters yet, it was showcased at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2014 to positive reviews from critics. It’s already gotten some buzz about Academy Award nominations, although the awards do not air until late February. But it is rightfully so as the film is a perfect contender for award season.

White Bird in a Blizzard is available for download on iTunes and will be released in theaters on October 24. The book, written by Laura Kasischke, is available in stores and online.

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