When it comes to making our way through life, we’re all just fumbling around in the dark. We can’t be sure what life will throw at us next and we all look for ways to find order in the chaos. Some find order in religion, for others it’s joining a band, and for some, it’s obsessing over physical fitness. In Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais’ new film, Birthmarked, a married couple use their scientific brains to take life by the reins. And they can’t handle the nonsense that occurs once life throws them the ultimate curveball: Teenagers.

Catherine (Toni Collette) and Ben (Matthew Goode) are a couple of eggheads. Both come from a long line of gifted academics, so it only seems natural that they fall in love and marry. The couple comes up with an idea after Catherine gets pregnant. They decide to use their child as part of a University-funded nature versus nurture experiment. They adopt two more kids; one from a lineage of violent knuckle draggers, the other from a long line of numbskulls. Catherine and Ben raise one as an artist, one as a scientist, and one as a pacifist to prove their theory. But as the kids verge on becoming teens, their unique personalities start emerging. This unplanned development throws their parents expectations out of whack and threatens to derail the 12-year experiment.

Birthmarked features a distinctive look and tone. Comparisons to the master of lovable kitsch, Wes Anderson, are inevitable. Birthmarked, though, is a frosty movie; visually and emotionally. Catherine and Ben are clinical scientists and their chilly personas translate to how they decorate their home. But it’s also represented by the winter season that looms over every scene. The story unfolds over the winter as sheets of snow blanket the family’s property. And newly fallen snow, much like newborn children, represents one of the film’s major themes — fresh starts.

Once indoors, clothing and furniture consist of cooler colours. Characters dress in garish 70’s and 80’s attire; mostly blues, greys, and browns. When Suzanne Clément’s character arrives wearing olive green and mustard yellow, it feels like a breath of fresh air. This visually represents outside forces creeping into the home and affecting the sheltered children.

Birthmarked’s eclectic score kept me on my toes. A good portion of the music sounds like something Ennio Morricone would write for a spaghetti western. And just as it grows on you the film switches to playing soulful hits from the 70’s and 80’s, which flowed better with the style and tone. But then, things shift again, and the film relies on the sort of quirky indie music you find in 92% of all indie-flicks.

Considering how much screen tome Hoss-Desmarais devotes to the three children I expected more from their characters. Lately, there’s been a run of great child performances at the movies (Wonder, A Wrinkle in Time, and A Quiet Place), but Birthmarked doesn’t come close to matching them. The three kids are the least interesting part of the movie. The story doesn’t spend enough time looking at events from their perspective. And at their young ages, these child actors lack the acting chops to stand out in their thankless roles.

One actor who does leave an impression is Michael Smiley as Gertz. Gertz is a grade-A slimeball and Smiley plays him with zeal. He once again proves that over-the-top Michael Smiley is the best type of Michael Smiley. He’s 30% trust-fund kid and 70% human grease stain who yearns for respect in the world of academia. Gertz is what happens if pre-Iron Man Tony Stark developed a cocaine addiction. He’s an agitator and a savvy manipulator who receives far too little screen time.

Children grow up, gain independence, and leave home. For protective parents, this evolution is a slow painful march. The child you held, changed, and bathed needs you less and less and eventually not at all. That shift from child to teen is where parents see those childhood bonds fade away as though Thanos snapped his fingers. This process is the at the crux of Birthmarked. As the kids evolve, their parents’ world unravels. Hoss-Desmarais has the makings of a great story but can’t sculpt it into a great film.

Here’s the elephant in the room: Birthmarked comes across as Wes Anderson-lite. Characters receive title cards, there’s voiceover, and the story is about a family of dysfunctional geniuses. And still, Birthmarked sits in a strange no man’s land between comedy and drama. Anderson’s movies feature fascinating characters and compelling drama, all while being funny. Birthmarked is mildly amusing. It’s too cold and distant to come across as charming. There’s no one in the film (other than Smiley) I want to spend time with. Collette and Goode have enough talent to hold your attention, but a great film must do more than hold one’s attention. Birthmarked has the feel of a director dipping their toe in the water before making a decisive splash. I’m curious to see what Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais does next.