Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Cold Water Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 8, 2018

Olivier Assayas' "Cold Water" (1994) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include new interview with cinematographer Denis Lenoir; new interview with Olivier Assayas; and segment from an archival episode of the French television program Le cercle de minuit. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic and author Girish Shambu as well as technical credits. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Christine

Most people experience the cycle for the first time as teenagers -- the world suddenly evolves into a vile and unforgiving place and life becomes an awful struggle that no longer makes sense. Initially the mind bravely holds the line, but it does not take long before it becomes a dangerous provocateur which would tirelessly insist that death is the only way out of the misery. Someone that is left to drown in deep cold water goes through the exact same cycle, only a lot faster.

The main protagonists of Olivier Assayas’ film, Christine (Virginie Ledoyen ) and Gilles (Cyprien Fouquet), are teenagers who feel like they are stuck in a world that does not need them. At times they also feel bullied by it, but because they do not know how to fight back they are frequently consumed by silly rage that lands them in trouble. It is why Christine is eventually arrested and sent to a juvenile detention center where she is expected to undergo a long recovery program while being monitored by a mental health specialist. Gilles, who is lucky to remain free, doubles-down on the rage and buys a bag of dynamite sticks.

The daily routine of popping pills and sleeping long hours very quickly bores Christine and she escapes the detention center. She reunites with Giles at a house party where other teens are trying their best to feel alive while getting drunk and smoking hash, but even the ‘fun’ proves to be an underwhelming experience that leaves them craving more. Shortly after, the friends head to the south of France to seek happiness in a popular commune.

Assayas understands mood and knows how to craft a lasting special atmosphere, but in Dark Water his work is a lot like an experiment launched by a young apprentice that is trying to guess the right ratios which would provide him with the substance that he is after. Indeed, there are parts of the film where the visuals and the sounds come together really well, but the manner in which the emotional struggles of the two leads are captured makes it awfully difficult for the viewer to care. Excluding the party footage, the majority of the time it feels like they act like alienated teens who are actually fully aware that a camera is rolling somewhere in the back, so the edge in their behavior comes off as incredibly artificial. This also has a negative effect on the type of fluidity that Assayas felt was right for the film -- and it certainly is -- because instead of enhancing the sense of authenticity the hand-held camera movement and casual cuts and zooms actually erode the little that is still detectable. Frankly, when the final credits roll it feels a lot like this film was a good test for everything that some years later Assayas would do far better in the similarly themed Something in the Air.

The film has a very attractive soundtrack that certainly adds a proper ‘70s vibe to the big party footage. It gathers classic tunes by Creedence Clearwater Revival (“Up Around the Band”), Janis Joplin (“Me & Bobby McGee”), Alice’s Cooper’s “School’s Out”), Bob Dylan (“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”), and Uriah Heep (“Easy Livin’”), amongst others. Viewers who are familiar with Assayas’ body of work, however, will not be surprised as he is an avid music lover and collector with an impeccable taste.

*This recent release of Cold Water is sourced from a brand new 4K restoration of the film, which was supervised and approved by director Assayas. The release also features a newly remastered audio track.

Cold Water Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Olivier Assayas' Cold Water arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Northlight film scanner from a 35mm internegative at Film Factory in Paris. The 5.1 surround soundtrack was created from a 35mm multitrack magnetic tape.

Transfer supervisor: Olivier Assayas.
Colorist: Elie Akoka.
Audio remastering: Grace Brown/Film Factory, Paris."

It is easy to tell that the film was shot with a modest budget and in less than optimal conditions, though in the grand scheme of things this is actually quite beneficial to the intended verite style. However, density levels could be better, and on a larger screen trained eyes will quickly spot some of the inherited limitations. On the other hand, fluidity is very good. There are no traces of awful digital tinkering, but again ideally grain should be exposed better. The color grading job is very convincing. However, while viewing the film I noticed at least two examples with extremely light flutter. Image stability is excellent. There are no large cuts, debris, stains, marks, or warps, but a few tiny white flecks remain. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Cold Water Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with a few lines in Hungarian). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is flawless. The dialog is clean, crystal clear, and stable. Because a lot of the larger scenes were shot in organic conditions some minor unevenness remains here and there, but there is no thinning or distortion to report. The overall range of dynamics is very good.

Cold Water Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Olivier Assayas - in this new video interview, Olivier Assayas explains how Cold Water came to exist and why he views it as a punk rock version of the '70s. The director also discusses the important role music has in the film. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in New York in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Denis Lenoir - in this new video interview, cinematographer Denis Lenoir recalls his work on Cold Water. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in Los Angeles in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Le cercle de minuit - presented here is a segment from an archival episode of the French television program Le cercle de minuit which features interviews with Olivier Assayas and actors Virginie Ledoyen and Cyprien Fouquet. The episode was broadcast in 1994. In French, optional English subtitles. (12 min, 1080i).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic and author Girish Shambu as well as technical credits.

Cold Water Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The great party scene is the only segment from Cold Water where I felt that Olivier Assayas' childhood memories and his desire for his film to function as a punk rock version of the '70s were actually perfectly in sync. I did not dislike the rest of the film, but it never pulled me in with the same authority that similar French period projects like Regular Lovers and A Tout de Suite have managed to do. There was too much artificiality in the evolution of the relationship between the two leads for my taste. If your experience with Cold Water turns out to be different, definitely consider picking up a copy of Assayas' Something in the Air, which deals with similar themes in a similar environment but in a vastly superior fashion. RENT IT.