The Dead (1987)

The first three-quarters of this film is like being invited to a holiday party where you don’t know anyone. The guests are warm and welcoming, but as an outsider, it takes a bit to figure out who everyone is and how they relate to each other. The winter setting inspires a bit of wistfulness amongst the characters as they contemplate their losses from both the past and future. Anjelica Huston, being directed by her father in a screenplay written by her brother, is vulnerable and beautiful as the wife of the hosts’ nephew, especially when she is recalling the lost love from her youth.

Oscar Nominations: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium; Best Costume Design