"the pair are able to convey so much without a word uttered between them, and the clever use of ASL is just genius!"

In Cold Light is the latest film from Maxime Giroux, written by Patrick Whistler and starring the irrefutably talented Maika Monroe.

Monroe portrays Ava, a recently released convict, wanting back in to the life of drug dealing that she once knew, and the film doesn’t work without such a gifted Actress playing Ava, she is absolutely phenomenal in the role.

Through a series of mistakes, her twin brother, Tom (Jesse Irving) is killed and with Ava as the only witness, she is pursued by the assailants, one of which being corrupt police officer Bob Whyte (Allan Hawco) doing the bidding of Helen Hunt’s Claire.

Filmed on location in Canada, they are gritty and real, giving a very lived in feel and the booming soundtrack from Composer Philippe Brault just adds to the tension, the majority of the time sounding like a heartbeat that has the adrenaline pumping!

One of my favourite aspects in the film, is the chemistry Monroe’s Ava has with her father, Will played to perfection by CODA stand out Troy Kotsur, their interplay is absolutely beautiful; the pair are able to convey so much without a word uttered between them, and the clever use of ASL is just genius!

At a brisk 96 minutes, In Cold Light is a triumph of storytelling, it isn’t overlong and Monroe is the stand out for me as Ava, bringing so much shock, heart and gravitas to this role, the film doesn’t work without her, this is an actress that I knew was special the moment she appeared on screen in The Guest, al those years ago.