White Bird in A Blizzard 2015 ***

Shanine Woodley’s star-making turn in The Fault in My Stars didn’t translate into an audience for Gregg Araki’s offbeat coming of age story, which mixes domestic and thriller elements to strikingly original effect. In the late 80’s, Kat (Woodley) has to reconcile her feelings of loss for her absent mother (Eva Green) with her alienation from her father (Christopher Meloni), and her relationship with a cop (Thomas Jane) don’t do anything to resolve her angst about the secret behaviour of men. A slow-burner, Araki’s film is formed with uniform strength, with Green particularly striking in a role largely in flashback, and Woodley a compelling lead.