By John Corrado
In Cold Light, the English-language debut of Quebec filmmaker Maxime Giroux, is a mix of crime drama and thriller that stars Maika Monroe as a young ex-convict in Alberta trying to get her life back on track, but being dragged right back into the criminal underworld.
The film opens with Ava (Monroe) getting arrested during a drug bust, after taking the fall for a drug operation being run with her twin brother Tom (Jessie Irving). We then cut to two years later with Ava getting out of jail, and trying to find work at the rodeo with her father Will (Troy Kotsur). But she gets dragged into a conspiracy involving a crooked cop (Allan Hawco), that puts her back on the run.
As a whole, In Cold Light is somewhat cliched film about an ex-con struggling to leave their life of crime behind, built around a character who feels somewhat underwritten. There are also several plot developments that feel like they could’ve been fleshed out more. But, if In Cold Light isn’t really anything we haven’t seen before, it’s still a decent-looking homegrown crime drama that boasts several fine performances.
Monroe does decent work in the lead. Ava doesn’t say much, but approaches everything with a sort of steely resolve. Kotsur, the Oscar-winning CODA actor, does genuinely solid supporting work here as Ava’s father, who is Deaf and communicates through sign language. One of the film’s best scenes is an emotional sign language conversation between them, lit under a motion-activated porch light that keeps going off. Helen Hunt also appears late in the film, and makes the most of her limited screen-time.
The cinematography by Sara Mishara, who also shot Giroux’s 2014 film Felix and Meira, has a neo-noir look to it, making good use of Alberta backdrops and neon-inspired lighting that gives everything a purplish hue. It’s at the very least a stylish and visually attractive veneer for the film.
The Joy of Movies 