Cold Weather
6.2 /10 1 Votes
Director Aaron Katz Language English | 6/10 IMDb Country United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date March 13, 2010 (2010-03-13) (SXSW)
February 4, 2011 (2011-02-04) (United States) Writer Aaron Katz (story), Brendan McFadden (story), Ben Stambler (story), Aaron Katz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cold Weather is an American mystery film written by Aaron Katz, Ben Stambler, and Brendan McFadden and directed by Katz with Stambler and McFadden producing. The film stars Cris Lankenau as a former forensic science student investigating the mysterious disappearance of his ex-girlfriend. The film was shot and set in Portland, Oregon, which was also the setting of Katz's debut feature, Dance Party USA.
Contents
Cold Weather premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2010 and was released in the United States by IFC Films on February 4, 2011.
Plot
The film, set in Portland, opens with Doug (Cris Lankenau) moving in with his sister, Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn). Doug has recently moved from Chicago, where he was studying forensic science and lived with now ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon). After getting a job at an ice factory, he befriends Carlos (Raúl Castillo), a co-worker who also DJs on the side. Rachel arrives in Portland to train at the home office of the Chicago law firm where she is employed, but suddenly disappears, leaving a trail of intriguing clues. Doug, Gail and Carlos begin investigating her whereabouts.
Production
Cold Weather was shot on location in Portland, Oregon using the Red One camera. Additional scenes were shot at Cannon Beach, Oregon and The Dalles.
Reception
Cold Weather opened to very positive reviews and currently holds a 78% "fresh" rating on the film review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote: "With no grand speeches or oversized gestures, Mr. Katz creates a specific world that gracefully enlarges with universal meaning." Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun Times wrote: ""Cold Weather" is good in so many subtle ways, I despair of doing them justice. It’s a thriller involving the personalities of its characters, who we get to know surprisingly well. It remains low-key even during its final big chase scene, which only involves one car. The acting is so good, you may not notice it. Although the characters stumble over the plot at least 40 minutes into the film, it’s as ingenious as a high-tech Friday night special." He also praised the performances of Lankenau and Castillo in the film as well. The film received "Two Thumbs Up" from Christy Lemire and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of Ebert presents At the Movies; it was the only film reviewed that week to receive the rating.