Cold Comfort (1990)

COLD COMFORT is an odd-little three-handed character drama. The story begins with a trio of characters holing up in a deserted diner during a snow storm. There's a slick travelling salesman, an obese oddball, and the oddball's flirty teenage daughter. What follows attempts to be a psychological thriller but it really doesn't thrill for the most part and feels quite pedestrian in execution. The chilly Canadian climes are well suited for the story's backdrop but, Maury Chaykin aside, the actors feel a bit lacklustre and restrained, and the incest elements of the plot are more embarrassing than anything else. The twist ending tries hard to be shocking but had me laughing instead.

First of all, this film is set in Alberta near Medicine Hat, not Manitoba or Alaska.I first saw this film in 1990, before "Misery", before "Due South", and I thought it was great. The suspense builds in a natural way as you see Steven get deeper and deeper into trouble and come to realize the kind of person Floyd is.Great drama, excellent acting. The scene where Steven freaks out on Floyd is some of the most believable anger I've ever seen in a flick.

Winter cold in rural Manitoba and a cluttered and claustrophobic living space behind a disused service station set the scene for this unnerving Canadian psychological drama. Maury Chaykin is an under-employed independent tow truck driver without a permit and without means to pay his bills. Everyone in town is creeped out by his disconcerting presence. Driving home in a blizzard Chaykin discovers handsome traveling salesman Paul Gross unconscious in a snowy ditch. What at first looks like a misfit playing good Samaritan turns into a twisted tale when the wounded Gross is presented as a gift to 18-year-old Dolores, played with sweet naivete by Margaret Langrick. Gross, at first grateful for his rescue quickly becomes wary of his odd circumstance, never knowing who, if anyone, he can trust. The neglected and immature Langrick tries to turn on a charm trying to woo the captive Gross. Chaykin is never far away - always menacing - and Gross is always on edge trying not to do the wrong thing to set off his demented host. The turning point, as Gross regains his health, is a birthday party for Dolores in the dreary garage, fueled by flirtatious banter and longing looks from Langrick and too much alcohol. When Langrick suddenly appears to perform an impromptu stage show for the two men Gross is confused, wondering about the daughter's innocence and end up reading the father's enthusiasm entirely wrong. Desperation and divided loyalties drive the taut conclusion. This film sticks with you like a winter chill.

What can i say... this movie is done very well. The acting is superb, the characters are eerily believable, and the situation is thought provoking and imaginative. This movie goes places we don't like to think about. It does a better job of portraying despair and isolation than any movie i've ever seen.It will leave you feeling cold, but Hopeful.Incredible!