Winter's Tale

Right now you can watch Winter's Tale on streaming — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. With 1,419 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Colin Farrell sets the tone, and the world-building does the rest. Available now — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Winter's Tale is worth clearing space for. Winter's Tale treats its concept seriously enough to follow it all the way through. A burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her. Colin Farrell and Jessica Brown Findlay lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2014. What separates Winter's Tale from lesser genre entertainment is a willingness to let the concept cost the characters something. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Viewers burned by ambitious sci-fi that could not sustain its premise should give Winter's Tale a chance. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Colin Farrell grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Once you are in, you will want to talk about it.