That Cold Dead Look in Your Eyes is a French movie with a little bit of everything, including drama, horror, eroticism, conspiracy theories, and somewhat of a plot. The disparate parts don’t quite gel, and it’s better to go into this movie forgoing any desire for a clear narrative and a traditional story arc. Just enjoy the surreal ride.

Written and directed by Onur Tuken, That Cold Dead Look in Your Eyes does have a protagonist and there is a story (sort of) that centers around him. Franck Raharinosy plays Leonard, a chef who’s horrible at his job, and I mean horrible. Everything he cooks at an NYC restaurant turns out wrong. He just may be the worst chef in all five boroughs. To compound his woes, his girlfriend, Marie (Nora Arnezeder), leaves him after he cheats on her with a co-worker. She also dumps him because he can’t pay the bills. His job as a chef doesn’t quite cut it.

After Marie disappears (sort of) after the break-up, Leonard stays at their place because he has nowhere else to go. Marie’s father, Dennis (Alan Ceppos), visits and turns the place into a photography studio for his gay models. The character of Dennis is one of the film’s best aspects. He brings the dark humor, especially in the first 30 minutes or so, joking about how terrible Leonard’s life is and how he’s not surprised his daughter ditched him. I wish the film leaned into the dark humor more and continued down that path.

The second half falls into the absurd and the surreal, and this is when the film teeters. Suddenly, Leonard gets sucked into a world of conspiracy theories about theta waves that may or may not cause him to hallucinate killing anyone around him simply by touching them. Due to his touch, their eyes go white, and they convulse. Some of the imagery is cool, but it becomes increasingly difficult to tell what’s in Leonard’s head and what isn’t it. Are there really some waves that cause these wild hallucinations, or is it all just bunk? I suppose that’s up to the viewer to decide, while keeping in in mind that Leonard’s life is a mess and he has a nervous breakdown, sobbing hysterically in front of Dennis and the nude models before they break into a dance party. What we see, from his perspective, can’t always be trusted, considering his mental state.

The visuals of this film are its strong suit, including the black and white. Only the flashbacks are in color. Even the surreal hallucinations are arresting. That said, sometimes That Cold Dead Look in Your Eyes is too weird. I’m all for arthouse films, but when experimentation spins out of control like a wild dance party, that’s when you risk losing the audience. Leonard is a relatable character, a guy totally down on his luck, but it’s best to watch this movie without an expectation of a clear narrative. Enjoy the black and white, the nightmarish images, the hip techno music, and the genre-bending. While all the parts don’t congeal, there’s still some good eye candy.

5.5 Out of 10