Sam Rockwell as Glenn Marchand and Kate Beckinsale as Annie Marchand in David Gordon Green's "Snow Angels." Chris Reardon / Crossroads Films

The title conjures up images of fresh snow, smiles, laughter and happy-go-lucky romance -- but "Snow Angels" is a David Gordon Green film: Impending tragedy is a given.

There is indeed romance in this film, which is the best thing about it. There are also breakups, betrayals, death and much, much sadness.

"Snow Angels" stars Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell in the key roles, with Olivia Thirlby (Juno's best friend in "Juno") and Michael Angarano (TV's "Will & Grace") in quite possibly the loveliest subplot you'll see this year.

Angarano plays Arthur, a trombone player in the high school band, which is practicing on the snowy football field as the film opens. Distant gunshots stop the music, and the action flashes back to weeks earlier, when the seeds of romance were planted for Arthur and new girl Lila (Thirlby) just as his parents were splitting up.

Arthur's former sitter, Annie (Beckinsale), whom he now works with at a Chinese restaurant, is also in the midst of a breakup, with her husband, Glenn (Rockwell), who can't keep a job, is recovering from a suicide attempt and battling alcoholism.

Glenn's desperate fragility is a turnoff to Annie, who is, and probably always has been, smarter, stronger and more responsible. Her meaningless affair with the dim-witted Nate (Nicky Katt) is both a reckless act of selfishness and a self-inflicted punishment.

Add to that mess the fact that Nate is married to Annie's best friend, Barb, who also works at the restaurant. Amy Sedaris turns in a startlingly great performance as Barb -- not startling that she's good, but that it's a complete departure from her goofball roles.

As in all of Green's films, there are few clues about time or place in "Snow Angels." Stewart O'Nan's novel, upon which the film is based, took place in 1974 Pennsylvania. That works, but it could just as well be 1984 Wisconsin or 1994 Nebraska.

Green's usual cinematographer, Tim Orr, does what he does best: shooting the landscape in such a way that it becomes a character in the story. It's not pretty, but it helps us to discover the beauty.

Teresa Budasi / Universal Press Syndicate