Winter is a time when it really hits home to many about the number of rough sleepers who now inhabit the streets, underpasses and where else they can find shelter.
The opening of Stephen Graves’ short The Dead of Winter sees a man encounter a homeless person, but after stating he has no cash to help him, just walks off and we guess expect him to either freeze to death or bother someone else.
We find out Harry, the man who ignored the man in the alleyway is not the doting father he maybe should be and his wife isn’t much better. Whether it is guilt or something more sinister, he starts to see the man everywhere. Is this an offshoot of something like A Christmas Carol, where the more wealthy are encouraged to support those in need, especially during the colder months of the year?
Its conclusion can be interpreted in many different ways, but I found it a little bit ambiguous, and not in keeping with what had come before.
The Dead of Winter screened as part of Frightfest 2023.
Bloody Flicks 