Cold Water

Not everything works in "Cold Water," but there's a searching quality to its best passages.

What strikes you by the end of "Cold Water" is just how fast it moves, how swiftly our time spent with these characters simply slips away.

Assayas creates a ragged beauty.... He appreciates the texture of time passing in a way rarely seen in American films and the expressive moments and the edgy mix of intimacy and disconnection creates an undertow of tension...

Assayas delivers a timeless slice of youth, powered by two emotionally raw performances from his young actors, as well as a killer score. Cold Water doesn’t necessarily reinvent the genre, but it’s a compelling narrative to spend time with.