Back to trending
That Cold Day in the Park

That Cold Day in the Park

Drama · Thriller · 1969

Frances Austen, a young, wealthy spinster, invites a mute teenager into her apartment after finding him freezing in the park next to where she lives. Despite her best efforts, their lack of communication only increases her sense of loneliness, as her possessiveness spirals into frightening new realms.

Movie details

That Cold Day in the Park

“How far will a woman go? How far will a 32 year-old spinster go to possess a strange, 19 year-old boy?”

1969 Drama · Thriller 1h 47m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

Frances Austen, a young, wealthy spinster, invites a mute teenager into her apartment after finding him freezing in the park next to where she lives. Despite her best efforts, their lack of communication only increases her sense of loneliness, as her possessiveness spirals into frightening new realms.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over That Cold Day in the Park?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Tyler Perry's Duplicity

Tyler Perry's Duplicity

Thriller · 2025

High-powered attorney Marley faces her most personal case yet when she is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the murder of her best friend Fela’s husband. With the help of her boyfriend – a former cop turned private investigator – Marley’s search for what really happened leads her down a treacherous maze of deception and betrayal.

The Good Neighbor

The Good Neighbor

Thriller · 2022

A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.

Not Without Hope

Not Without Hope

Thriller · 2025

A group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.

The Company You Keep

The Company You Keep

Drama · 2012

A former Weather Underground activist goes on the run from a journalist who discovers his identity.

Room

Room

Drama · 2015

Held captive for 7 years in an enclosed space, a woman and her young son finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside world for the first time.

Nocturnal Animals

Nocturnal Animals

Drama · 2016

Susan Morrow receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband – a man she left 20 years earlier – asking for her opinion of his writing. As she reads, she is drawn into the fictional life of Tony Hastings, a mathematics professor whose family vacation turns violent.

Argo

Argo

Drama · 2012

As the Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point, a CIA 'exfiltration' specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed

The Disappearance of Alice Creed

Crime · 2009

A rich man's daughter is held captive in an abandoned apartment by two former convicts who abducted her and hold her ransom in exchange for her father's money.

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

Drama · 1976

13-year-old Rynn Jacobs lives in a New England beach town. Whenever the landlady inquires after Rynn's father, she claims that he's not available. But when the landlady's son, Frank, won't leave Rynn alone, she teams up with a neighbor Mario to maintain the dark family secret that she's been keeping to herself.

Chatroom

Chatroom

Drama · 2010

When strangers Jim, Eva, Emily and Mo meet William online in his new 'Chelsea Teens!' chatroom, they're completely seduced by his fast-talking, charismatic character. But beneath the surface lies a much darker truth. William is a dangerous loner, channeling all his energies into cyberspace. He's become an analyser, a calculating manipulator who finds it almost impossible to interact normally with others in the real world, instead turning his hand to manipulating people online.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Robert Altman

Written by

Gillian Freeman

Sandy Dennis

Sandy Dennis

Frances Austen

Michael Burns

Michael Burns

The Boy

Susanne Benton

Susanne Benton

Nina

David Garfield

David Garfield

Nick

Luana Anders

Luana Anders

Sylvia

E

Edward Greenhalgh

Dr. Stevenson

D

Doris Buckinham

Mrs. Ebury

Court is in session

Put That Cold Day in the Park on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.