Written by: Ryan Dailey
The horror nation knows no borders. Gemstones in the genre come to the community from all nationalities. Onur Tukel (The Misogynists) is a Frenchman telling the tale of Leonard (Franck Raharinosy) as he descends into madness. A story that knowingly or unknowingly pays homage to films like Falling Down and Jacob’s Ladder, only with some dark, genuinely funny dialog.
Marie (Nora Arnezeder) and Leonard were happy, once upon a time, and that happiness is shown in full color flashbacks, whereas Leonard’s mental background is filmed entirely in black and white.
That Cold Dead Look In Your Eyes is a film that the interpretation of can vary from person to person. One viewer may see Leonard’s hallucinations as the fragile psyche of a man whose life is in shambles simply giving up the ghost. The person next to them may see the film as a conspiracy story of sorts, with the visions being brought on by theta waves that are emitted from tiny boxes sprinkled throughout the city, providing “high speed Internet.” The person next to them, chewing loudly and complaining that the film is mostly in French with English subtitles, well, they may see it as a run-of-the-mill zombie-type story.
This is a good thing for the genre. The horror nation needs more films that forces the viewer to not only pay attention, but to think about what it is they are watching. Tukel and company have done a fine job of bringing something to the table that is funny and artsy, without being pretentious and too abstract.
The directing in this piece is superb, Turkel manages to capture the feeling of Leonard’s world falling apart exquisitely through his framing, camera movements and compositions. The actors that bring this story to life contribute so much in how they deliver the material. Each and every one of them could carry an entire film with their individual talents. Alan Ceppos in particular chews every scene he is in as Marie’s once famous photographer father.
The horror nation owes it to themselves to clear an hour and a half off of their schedules, dispose of any disdain for reading subtitles, if applicable, and follow Leonard as he slowly loses his grip on reality.
That Cold Dead Look In Your Eyes is currently streaming on Tubi and iTunes.