The Cold Room

(UK)

Jethro. Director James Dearden; Producer Mark Forstater; Screenplay James Dearden; Camera Tony Pierce-Roberts; Editor Mick Audley; Music Michael Nyman;; Art Director Tim Hutchinson

George Segal
Amanda Pays
Renee Soutendijk
Warren Clarke
Anthony Higgins
Ursula Howells

The Cold Room, a modestly intriguing psychological thriller, marks the feature debut (after a couple of interesting shorts) of director James Dearden. It's a very confident first feature, intelligently directed and always interesting to look at.

Story centers around an attractive if sulky British teenager (Amanda Pays), who joins her father (George Segal) for a vacation in (of all places) East Berlin.

Spending time in her tiny room in an old-fashioned hotel, she gradually comes under the spell of another girl who lived in the same house during the war.

Segal is relaxed as the baffled father who can't get through to his daughter and fears she may be going insane. Pays is a find as the possessed girl, but Dutch actress Renee Soutendijk has almost nothing to do as Segal's girlfriend.

(Color) Available on VHS. Extract of a review from 1984. Running time: 92 MIN.

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