I had high expectations for this film, hoping to catch a glimpse of East Germany during the Cold War. Moreover, the story was reputed to include an element of time travel, which is a genre that I enjoy. But The Cold Room is an unmitigated mess. Never does director James Dearden make an effort to clarify what is happening on screen. Is Carla Martin the same person as Christa Bruckner, or is she a lookalike or distant relative? Does she actually return to the days of Nazi Germany, or is this simply a dream sequence? Who rapes her, if indeed she is raped at all, and why does Carla stab her own father instead of Christa stabbing Wilhelm, the butcher? And why does Carla's father, Hugh Martin, arrange for a father-daughter reunion in East Germany, of all places? Nothing is explained by final curtain, so the audience is left to wonder why they have invested an hour and a half of their lives in watching this dismal, boring story slowly unfold upon itself. It is difficult to sympathize with any of the characters. George Segal is a smiling, long-suffering wimp, hardly changing expression or attitude - - even after being stabbed in the chest by his own daughter. He has learned nothing about her, except that she might be a tad mentally unbalanced. Amanda Pays seems to be a good actress, but her character is hopelessly self-centered and spoiled. Who can really blame her for being confused about what is happening around her? Even reading ahead in the script would provide not a clue!
Review of The Cold Room
