Eavesdropping At The Movies

Cold Weather is a mumblecore crime thriller, if it is indeed possible to conceive of such a thing, which it must be, because Cold Weather is one. Gentle, leisurely, and with a close focus on character relationships and foibles, it's a pleasant and surprisingly engrossing film, more evidence of the reliability of MUBI's curation. Never has a brother-sister amateur detective duo been so laid back. José has issues with the ending, Mike has an issue with the crime story, but neither takes issue with the film's strength: its characters' relationships. Whether between adversarial brother and sister, amicable exes, or newly bonding buddies, these are smartly observed and efficiently rendered, and the film relishes moments such as a familial debate over who gets to drive, and a detour in which a character hopes that taking up pipe smoking will allow him to think like Sherlock Holmes. With the exception of some self-consciously 'art filmy' shot choices, the film is well directed by Aaron Katz, who maintains a precise