The Cold Lands Reviews

Summary After his mother’s sudden death, a young boy runs away into the deep woods of upstate New York and meets an unpredictable and mysterious drifter.

• Drama

The Cold Lands is less a story than an experience, and that, as such, anything one might say about it could be considered a spoiler.

In the thoughtful and touching coming-of-age tale The Cold Lands, writer-director Tom Gilroy examines self-reliance as a philosophy and way of life.

Burdened with tangential musings, The Cold Lands is at its most effective when grappling with those who believe themselves so self-reliant that they refuse help from anyone—be it government, charity, or just a well-meaning friend.

The Cold Lands feels as if it were just taking hold when it reaches the end of the road.

The Cold Lands goes flat in this middle section. Gilroy’s visual style is strong, but he doesn’t frame the images to chart Atticus’ development, and Yelich, whose only previous screen experience is starring in the video Gilroy directed for R.E.M.’s “It Happened Today,” doesn’t suggest what’s going on beneath the layers of trauma and withdrawal.

The Cold Lands is aimless and dull, but has a rich tone and upstate authenticity.