Cold Walls

Cold Walls is the sort of complicated, low-concept story that's hard to make a simple elevator pitch for, and is obviously trying to find its feet and needs a bit more budget and room to make it happen.

A proof-of-concept show pilot, Cold Walls uses the genres of dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction as its tools for exploring the theme of how society treats mental illness and neurodivergency. Already a lot of big concepts are fighting for dominance in the story: We've got society after the fall, we've got the dystopia that's risen from the ashes, AND we've got the oppression of mental disorders.

It's a lot to tackle at once, and the pilot makes a valiant effort. Being a single "episode" of course it can only set up plot threads rather than resolve them, but it sets up quite a few. We have a protagonist seeking redemption while trying to cope with their mental disorder, a fascist villain with an ableist agenda, and a companion who wants to enable the surrender to mental illness that the hero is trying to avoid. This is all against a backdrop of societal scapegoating and familial betrayal.

The show looks like it's trying to do what it can with limited resources. It's rough around the edges, and needs a bit more polish to make its world work. If it got picked up and a chance to further its story, there's lots of places for it to go. Besides the obvious question of Will Our Hero Succeed, there's plenty to answer: How did our protagonist Stratton manage to rehabilitate himself? Will he relapse? How many problems with mental disability are caused by society's reaction to it? What does the rest of this world look like?

To get to these questions, the show needs time and a suitable budget. It would be interesting to see the final product of this proof of concept.

An cool premise with a sense of style. The costume design and sets were a highlight. Clearly a lot of passion put into this. Would be interested in seeing some of the kinks ironed out and ideas developed a further.

A beautiful starting point, I was disappointed to see there weren't additional episodes available to stream anywhere. As someone who is always looking for a break from the norm in film, Cold Walls was an atmospheric treat. The gorgeous lighting and cinematography are blended perfectly with the costuming and design elements, you can tell a lot of thought went into creating this episode. The characters are well written and fleshed out, each able to stand on their own, a truly impressive feat, considering we're only a single episode in to what I can only hope becomes a full series. Can't wait to see what the future holds for this project!