"That Cold Day in the Park" Altman's expressionist production that looks into the abyss of humanity.

A story that quietly degenerates into madness.

To put it bluntly, ``That Cold Day in the Park'' is a very strange movie. Even after more than an hour, I still have no idea where this story will end, and I feel an indescribable sense of unease.

The story begins with Frances (Sandy Dennis), a single bourgeois woman, inviting her friends to a small party. Usual meals, ordinary conversations. Her beautiful face is as expressionless as a doll's, and she appears to be simply passing the time without any excitement.

Frances is concerned about the young man (Michael Burns) she sees outside the window. I was sitting on a bench in a park in the pouring rain, completely wet. She ends the party early and calls out to him, bathes him, feeds him, and listens to records together. Strangely, he doesn't say a word. He doesn't respond to any of her questions. Still, Frances takes good care of him, and the young man begins to stop by her house whenever he feels like it. In this way, a strange and mysterious relationship is built between the two.

"That Cold Day in the Park" preview

Perhaps Frances' feelings as a mother, which she had hidden deep within her heart, welled up like a fountain and poured out her love for the young man as if it were her own child. Her expression, which used to be like a death mask, is overflowing with the joy of living, and she regains her vitality. And then we gradually come to know that...this film is not a story of a mysterious union between a woman and a young man, but a story about obsession, schizophrenia, personality disorders, and sexual frustration. It is a story about a woman who is quietly devoured into madness.

For example, there is a scene like this. Play the harmonica against a blindfolded opponent and play tag. A shadow reflected on the curtain chases another shadow.

"I was playing, blindfolded demon. You know what? I found something nostalgic. Do you understand? It's my uniform tie. This red symbolizes fire. The flame of my heart. ”

The expression on Frances' face when she was caught by the young man was no longer that of a mother. It was the face of someone expecting to be caressed by a young man and to have a physical relationship with him.

“That Cold Day in the Park” © MCMLXIX Commonwealth United

Or the scene where she undergoes surgery at the obstetrics and gynecology department. In the waiting room, the ladies openly talk about sex, such as ``taking the pill'' and ``putting on a pessary.'' Perhaps unable to bear the excessive care, Frances heads to the bathroom. However, the women continue to talk about contraception, and she, and we, the audience, continue to listen to their conversation. Frances despises sex, yet she craves it intensely. Then, she undergoes surgery to install contraceptives and prepares for that ``time.''

Eventually, her suppressed emotions explode, and she crosses a line that she shouldn't cross. Frances, who has been quietly deteriorating into madness, finally bares her fangs.

Confinement psychological thriller