‘Cold Weather’ Delivers Genuine Chills, Exudes Warmth

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CHICAGO – Nothing inspires moviegoers to huddle around the warm glow of their television sets quite like a record-breaking snowstorm. And few films were more tailor-made for a slow-moving snow day than “Cold Weather,” the entrancing new picture from indie filmmaker Aaron Katz, best known for his breakout projects “Dance Party, USA” and “Quiet City.”
 
This is the sort of film that Video On Demand was made for. It doesn’t require a big screen or surround sound to fully envelop the audience into its story. Katz’s longtime collaborators, cinematographer Andrew Reed and composer Keegan DeWitt, impeccably set the mood and tone for an overcast Oregon-set noir from the very first frame. The best way to approach this small yet potent gem is to go in cold.
 
The effortlessly natural Cris Lankenau (star of “Quiet City”) plays Doug, a young slacker who initially fits the profile of many a mumblecore protagonist: single, unemployed, and seemingly aimless. He leaves his internship at a Chicago kitchen for his home in Portland, where he moves in with his sister Gail (the superb Trieste Kelly Dunn). He eventually finds work at an ice factory, where he befriends Carlos (Raúl Castillo), an amiable guy with an affinity for “Star Trek.” There’s an intriguing shot that pans between Doug and Carlos as they stack endless bags of ice while making small talk about everything from their future goals to Sherlock Holmes. As the camera obsessively captures the mindless, mechanical nature of their task, Katz is gradually bringing the audience into the natural rhythms of his characters’ lives, so when the pace eventually speeds up, our pulse follows.

Cris Lankenau re-teams with director Aaron Katz in the mystery Cold Weather.
Cris Lankenau re-teams with director Aaron Katz in the mystery Cold Weather.
Photo credit: IFC Films

When Doug’s ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) enters the picture, it looks as if Katz’s tenderly nuanced character vignette might turn into yet another brooding, blue-tinted relationship drama. Her yellow poncho sharply contrasts with the drab landscape as she rushes to reconnect with her old flame. After Carlos takes Rachel to a “Star Trek” convention, he immediately starts to feel guilty about hanging out with his friend’s ex, yet Doug never shows any overt signs of jealousy. When Rachel fails to show up at a party, Carlos panics. He drags a reluctant Doug to her hotel room, which turns out to be empty. As he sits in a contemplative state on her bed, Doug’s peripheral vision suddenly informs him that he and Carlos are indeed being watched. This revelation occurs nearly 40 minutes into the 96-minute picture, and it’s the moment when “Cold Weather” officially announces itself as a mystery, yet the film is far more than a mere exercise in genre subversion.
 
Though Katz often cites Jean-Pierre Melville and Robert Altman as primary artistic inspirations, the film that “Cold Weather” resembles the most, in terms of tone and content, is Woody Allen’s underrated 1993 farce, “Manhattan Murder Mystery.” That film got great comedic mileage out of the relationship dynamic between a married couple—the wife perpetually convinced that something fishy is going on, and the skeptical husband perturbed about being dragged along for the ride. Allen’s trademark banter was an obvious highlight of the piece, though it ended up diluting some of the suspense toward the end. Katz’s humor is more low-key, but no less infectious. Devoid of distracting punchlines, his film is ultimately more gripping, leading to a genuinely tense climax. Yet by viewing the plot purely through the limited gaze of its innocent protagonists, both films succeed in making the viewer feel like a participant in the unfolding story rather than a detached observer. The mystery is merely a catalyst for bringing two people closer together. In the case of Katz’s film, it’s a brother and sister.

Cold Weather is available though the Video On Demand service, IFC in Theaters, starting Feb. 9.
Cold Weather is available though the Video On Demand service, IFC in Theaters, starting Feb. 9.
Photo credit: IFC Films

Reed’s elegant imagery brings a haunting intrigue to the most mundane spaces. The ever-graying skies appear to weigh down on the characters, externalizing their claustrophobia. Some shots are memorable merely for their muted beauty, such as the wide angle of Doug and Gail on a chilly park bench, or the hypnotic zoom-in to Doug and Rachel on a bridge, with their backs facing an icy waterfall. This is Katz’s first film shot on a RED camera, and the format suits him well, resulting in perhaps the most visually poetic American indie since Bradley Rust Gray’s “The Exploding Girl.” DeWitt’s score complements the cinematography wonderfully, with its undertones of melancholy and an inner sweetness that reflects the sibling bond at the heart of the picture. The music only becomes intrusive during a key sequence in the third act, where DeWitt’s atonal percussiveness sounds like a forced imitation of Jon Brion’s distinctive score for “Punch-Drunk Love.” There are also a couple plot twists toward the end that are easily guessable, particularly for mystery buffs. But those flaws amount to little more than quibbles.
 
Katz toys with genre conventions in ways more idiosyncratic than subversive. The film works as both a deadpan comedy and a gripping thriller. When the characters finally take action in the film’s final minutes, it really feels like they’re winging it, resulting in a sequence that manages to capture the exhilaration of improvised problem solving where every last second counts. “Cold Weather” further solidifies Katz’s status as one of America’s most gifted and assured young filmmakers.

‘Cold Weather’ stars Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Raúl Castillo and Robyn Rikoon. It was written and directed by Aaron Katz. It will available through ‘IFC in Theaters,’ a Video on Demand service from select cable providers, beginning Feb. 9. It is not rated.

HollywoodChicago.com staff writer Matt Fagerholm

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
matt@hollywoodchicago.com

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