Nobody Can Cool proved to be a moody and atmospheric suspense thriller. Its color palate cleverly supports a pair of menacing characters, Len and Gigi, who are awaiting the arrival of someone they fear. Before that encounter, they must deal with the unexpected intrusion of a pair of young professionals, a shallow couple with problems of their own. In a remote cabin that each couple expected not to share, trouble begins when the young professionals discover that their bedroom door has been locked. Not willing to accept this situation, Susan, the more assertive and ambitious of the pair, climbs out the bedroom's window and, as the plot develops, into increasing conflict with the looming Len and the aggressive but very pregnant Gigi. If Nick Principe, who plays Len, did not say a word, his presence would bring to the screen echoes of the unhinged villains encountered in comic books. He promises to be the constant source of the misery that Susan and her companion will confront. However, the malice of the expectant Gigi, who speaks with a foreign accent, is not long kept in check. Her pregnancy has not softened her or made her life affirming. In fact, the sequence that establishes her character conveys something grotesque, vulgar or sordid. Such plot elements are woven into a tight and compelling script. The exchanges between the characters are convincing and quickly move the action forward. There are no wasted words. The low-level lighting, in many of the scenes, adds to the film's gritty depiction of the situations of the characters. The very tall, bald, slightly bearded and heavily tattooed Len, in fact, often seem to emerge out of darkness, as if he were an element of a distressing dream. Moreover, every one of the film's agents is in some sort of nightmare or trap. Other stylistic elements contribute to the film's unsettling atmospherics. Attention is often called to the passing of time, as the film's unwinding moves us closer to inevitable catastrophe. One could add to this the nighttime setting, the remoteness of the cabin and the eerie sound effects. What most struck me in the film's first half hour was how well it was put together. Each scene moved seamlessly to the next; the visually jarring elements were intentionally so. The camera's movements were well considered, and the final product seemed the result of careful consideration of how the cuts between shots would contribute both to the revelation of character and to the tensions that were basic to the action. The brevity of some of those early shots, coupled with the red and green colors that dominate each frame, suggests that the film's directors might have wanted to evoke the panels of classic crime comics. But there is no detective or comic book hero to resolve the villainy and mayhem in this film. Nobody Can Cool shows what can be done with a well-developed script and a cast that works together. Highly recommended.
