THE STORY – Ava attempts to go straight after prison, but her twin is murdered and being a witness to the shooting, she is forced to run for her life.
THE CAST – Maika Monroe, Troy Kotsur, Helen Hunt, Allan Hawco, Jesse Irving & Patrick Sabongui
THE TEAM – Maxime Giroux (Director) & Patrick Whistler (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 96 Minutes
It’s easy to be absorbed by the technical dexterity of Maxime Giroux’s “In Cold Light.” Giroux assuredly displays his prowess as a filmmaker, wasting no time in creating a high-stakes energy that wafts through the film’s opening set piece, one that’s set around an elaborately captured drug bust. From then on, “In Cold Light” is a rollercoaster of an experience, a fitting comparison since when the film works, it’s lights out. Yet when the lows occur, it’s more than noticeable, putting the brakes on what is an impelling neo-noir that desperately wants to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Despite these deviations in quality, there’s still enough to be engaged by, even if “In Cold Light” can’t seem to land the plane with all of its landing gear.
Giroux picks up two years since Ava (played by Maika Monroe) was arrested after the film’s heartstopping opening sequence. She’s ready to reclaim her life, the only way she knows how, which, to the surprise of no one, is by getting back into the drug trade. Her twin brother and former partner in crime, Tom (played by Jesse Irving), hopes to keep her out of it. Ava’s father, Will (played by Troy Kotsur), a former rodeo star, throws her a bone with some work at the stables in the hopes of her having a second chance, but he never makes it easy on her. Ava’s frustrations only pile on as a night out with her brother turns sideways as she is framed for his murder. “In Cold Light” morphs into a kinetic thriller, thrusting Ava into the worst night of her life, where any wrong move can hurt her or those she loves. Giroux’s English language film debut flourishes in creating a seedy country-esque backdrop that becomes a character itself in how Ava is forced to navigate around it. Grioux, a Canadian filmmaker, successfully extracts the essence of this setting, which is reminiscent of a majority of small southern towns in America. This texture is derived from how exceptional Sara Mishara’s cinematography is in placing audiences in these locales. It’s noticeable that Grioux, along with Mishara’s eye, is hoping to elicit a grittiness that’s only accentuated by the visceral nature of the film’s violence. Philippe Brault’s score is also excellent, with propulsive synth beats that are rapturous from the film’s very first moments and do nothing but immerse audiences.
Monroe also sells this intentful steelyness with her work here, which only continues to spotlight how engaging a performer she is. Ava’s isolated nature is her greatest strength and weakness. Monroe can sell how fundamentally broken of a person she is and how she’s frantically trying to hold on to what little she has. She’s at her best in “In Cold Light”whenever she’s opposite Kotsur, who also turns in another good performance. Kotsur’s character actor repertoire pays dividends as he effortlessly inhabits a character that feels naturally existent in this world. Will, like Ava, is also trying to stay afloat, holding on to dreams and the image of those closest to him that don’t exist anymore. Maybe Kotsur’s Oscar-winning turn in “CODA” portrayed him so lovingly that a role like this only reminds audiences how diversified an actor he can be. It’s fascinating to see him play a character with an unjustly mean-spirited way of carrying themselves. There’s a moment where Will publicly punishes his daughter through a game of bloody knuckles that perfectly sets up these characters’ thorny relationship. A relationship that evolves as tribulations only continue to burden this father-daughter pairing.
Will and Ava’s dynamic might be the most intricately explored aspect of the film’s story, which, despite Giroux’s direction, is only one dynamic in Patrick Whistler’s screenplay that really works as it’s weighed down by the genre conventions that have been repeated countless times before. It makes Giroux’s directional flourishes come off more as an artifice to a story plagued with one-dimensional characters and twists that feel completely unearned. A lot of the credit should go to Monroe and Kotsur due to how much they are able to bring to their characters with their performances. Every antagonist varies in differing forms of uninteresting, such as the cowboy touting police officer Bob Whyte, played by Allan Hawco, who is constantly gunning for Ava. At least his character feels far more fitting for the tone of the film compared to the involvement of ominous crime lord Claire, played by Helen Hunt (which is mainly in the latter half of the film). Not only is Hunt terribly miscast, but that role of that character only comes off as one of many signs that “In Cold Light” is more than beginning to lose its grip on its tightly spun narrative. Despite these gripes, there is enough in “In Cold Light” to keep the attention of audiences, but it’s hard to fault those who will easily dismiss this as a redundant film with the occasional moments of panache.
