[Review] Cold Wind Blowing
Dionne Copland and Louise Weard’s Cold Wind Blowing is a curious beast. From the disembodied screams that lead into the opening titles to a road trip marred by unease, the film takes its time settling in. This pacing works to its advantage, as the viewer is treated to a lovingly realized world stuck in time. The main setting houses boardgames, VHS tapes, and a sizable CRT television. There are no cellphones and, relishing the bliss of isolation, a cheerful refrain of “no neighbors, no noise complaints” is delivered via dialogue. Though intended as a break from the noise of modern life, these details prove to be horrifying in their irony.
Looking to spend a drama-free Christmas away from family, siblings Nomi (Angela Way) and Thomas (Cameron Petersen) travel with a group of friends deep into the Saskatchewan mountains. Their fraught relationship dynamics are exposed alongside the presence of a Wendigo-like creature. Visually and thematically, the film calls back to demonic and folk horrors of yore. As it builds to its first attacks, there is a sense of danger lurking that tightens an already claustrophobic situation. But the film’s emotional center provides balance. The story is as much about contending with personal demons as it is with horned creatures in the dark. Copland and Weard deftly utilize interpersonal tensions stewing within the remote cabin to make the ensuing terror palpable.
Though the lore of the creature is not explored in great detail, the film weaves its presence into the dialogue and strange visions perceived by Nomi. These visions exacerbate Nomi’s own repression and provide a canvas for the film to grapple with various forms of guilt. Seeing as Cold Wind Blowing takes place on Native soil, leaving the creature undefined creates broad, unflattering parallels. But ultimately, it makes the story’s cosmic indifference to the dysfunction of our main group all the more brutal. In horror films, White people have a way of making themselves comfortable in the remains of suffering. Here, the creature isn’t conjured up and its visuals are rather deviously kept under wraps for the most part. In obscurity, the violence in the film is more impactful. And the way Copland and Weard force their characters to navigate their own fears is compelling.
While not a high body count affair, Cold Wind Blowing is a harrowing survival tale. It stays ambiguous enough to stoke the imagination without alienating the viewer. This is the kind of toasty creature-feature one could pick up blindly at a video store to enjoy with a few slices of pizza on a Friday night. And its nostalgic qualities stem from both set-up and craft. The rapport between actors on screen is captured seamlessly, introducing and paying off moments of intimacy that are as engaging as the looming threat. In its earnestness, I’m reminded of all the playful scenes just before everything goes to hell in The Evil Dead. And rest assured, anyone who finds themselves too comfortable with this film’s snuggly vibes early on is in for a rude awakening.
Cold Wind Blowing is available March 15th on Digital, DVD & Limited Theatrical
