Cold Weather - DVD review

The detective genre is turned on its head in this hip, independent feature from mumblecore veteran Aaron Katz, in this his third feature.

Doug (Cris Lankenau) has returned to his hometown of Portland, Oregon after dropping out of his forensics degree in Chicago and moved back in with his sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn), having split with his girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon).

After meandering around town and attempting to connect with his sister, Doug takes on a job in an ice factory - moving bags of ice from one side of the room to another seemingly. At work he befriends Carlos (Raul Castillo), a part-time DJ, and they share some good times together along with Gail. Then Rachel turns up unexpectedly with some business to attend to. Carlos and Rachel then go out together until one night they are meant to meet, and she does not turn up...

Like any American independent feature, there has to be a gimmick or a hook and for the first half of this film you do wonder in which direction this film is going. It follows four twenty-somethings going about their mundane lives, hanging out, sharing stories, liking or disliking Star Trek and then the possibility of a romantic arrangement (to the shagrin of the male lead) throws this narrative off course and offers something different.

Rachel's no show for a date with Carlos leads him to believe that she might have been kidnapped, and so it makes sense as to why Doug and Carlos have been spending a lot of time talking about Sherlock Holmes; the two amateur sleuths are living vicariously through the words and influence of Arthur Conan Doyle.
All of a sudden the missing girl is not the macguffin, but the suitcase that has inside of it some explicit photographs that the Cowboy (named because of his choice of hat attire) has to blackmail her. The two men are helped by Gail in their sleuthing. This leads to some funny scenes especially when they check into a hotel room, and then check out again, the audience know that the motel clerk (played by producer Ben Stambler) is thinking Doug and Carlos are gay, and Doug does not help when he says, 'I like Room 34, i had a good experience in it once'.

The laidback nature of Lankenau's performance may become frustrating and his reluctance to help Carlos in his detective work does make you wonder why does he want to be a detective if he does not want to do the legwork. But once they get a clue regarding baseball statistics, the ball is rolling and they are on the scent.
Whilst these detectives may be far removed from the kinetic madness of Benedict Cumberbatch's current Sherlock portrayal, the cleverness and delight of the film is that the detective plotline is itself nothing but a macguffin.
Katz depicts with the rebirth - not of a new career - but of a sibling relationship as Doug and Gail grow closer and stronger together working out the clues that lie within the mystery.
The title of Cold Weather can refer to the climate of Oregon itself and Doug's new job at the ice factory, but perhaps it refers to a climate of familial relationships and how given factors of distance and lack of time together siblings can lose contact and grow cold to one another.

The ending which finds brother and sister working in perfect harmony is very much intimate and exuding warmth - this is thanks to the direction of Katz who gives us glimpses of clues, mentions of a brighter youth in dialogue ('they are all mixtapes you made for me'), discreet body movements and glances all part of a bigger mystery, but with a naturalism indicative of the great ensemble.

Katz, who also wrote the screenplay and edited the film, has a bright future should this cult hit in America find the audience on this side of the pond. Here is hoping he can rise up to the next level in terms of budget and scale; it certainly seems like he has the integrity and ability to do so.
Cold Weather is released on 23rd May by Axiom Films is certified 15 and £15.99(RRP). The bonus features include an audio commentary by Aaron Katz along with producers Brendan McFadden and Stambler; an alternate ending (which was rightly culled) and a brilliant live performance of the end credits score by compose Keegan Dewitt, a life long friend of Katz - a score that is both eccentric, eclectic and thrilling.