Arts Runoff: HOW THE COLD CREEPS

Summary: A young couple, Mark (Andrew Powers) and Tess (Ele Woods), spend a weekend in the Vermont woods. Written, directed acted, etc. by Middlebury students. Here is the film itself, in full via Vimeo:

Good: True to the title, it creeped up on me: The simple story lulled me in but turned more suspenseful than I would have imagined. // As I watched “HTCC,” I found myself thinking, “the lighting is so chilly and awesome. Should I emphasize something that small?” At the end, lighting was given its own credit (Becker-Parton and Dylan Redford), so I was right to notice the extra work.

Bad: For a 15-minute movie, it starts a little slow.  The first prank Tess pulls isn’t given quite enough emotional context. I wasn’t sure what it meant or how to interpret it. // The house is much too big for two people just spending a weekend.

Broad: I haven’t reviewed many films, since I don’t hear much about original work coming out of the College. Maybe work in film courses isn’t as visible as theater, dance or studio art because the event is less important (you can re-watch “HTCC” online whenever you want). Also, I’ve heard Midd’s FMMC department focuses on analysis rather than original work. Or maybe I’m just out of the loop, in which case holla at tips@middblog.com the next time someone makes a great film.

Contextual Rating:
Since it’s break and many of us have nothing to do except sit in airports,
watch “How the Cold Creeps” on vimeo! I even made it convenient and embedded it. You didn’t even need to read this far!

“Arts Runoff” coverage was slightly patchy this J-Term, but it’s a new semester. Back to the mission: review every repeated arts event on campus before the final showing, with an emphasis on stuff produced by members of the Middlebury community rather than visiting performers.