Cold is Inevitably Heartwarming

OH GOD HOW DID I END UP IN THE REALLY DEEP SHORT FILM SIDE OF YOUTUBE I SHOULD REALLY GO BACK TO CAT VIDEOS I AM DROWNING IN MY OWN TEARS, but honestly this was was so fucking deep and they managed to make a 25 minute movie better than 90 percent of 2 hour Hollywood movies good job short film people

agreed..this is so deep..bring tears to me too..and yes for only 25 minutes this short way better than some movies..

These are two YouTubers commenting pointedly how good Cold is and how it drew them in.  It was written and directed by Toronto-based filmmaker Wassim Shaikh, and rather deftly runs a thread through the lives of several people to show how cold their city is.  And we're not talking about the weather.  That deft threading reminds me of Crash (2004) which nabbed the Oscar for Best Picture at the 78th Academy Awards and also of the less known but just as superb 13 Conversations About One Thing (2001).  But Shaikh manages to weave a completely moving story in just 25 minutes. 

There is a quote that crops up now and then on social media, and it says something to the effect of:  Don't judge or criticize people, because you don't know what suffering they've endured.  That's mighty apropos for this short film.  But in the end a simple smile, delivered by a despondent radio DJ to a despondent middle aged transvestite, in a hot dog line at night, no less, unravels that thread in a heartwarming, profound way. 

I looked for more information on this Award-Winning Short Film, and I didn't find much.  Apparently it didn't win an Oscar, but I found this:

Towleroad reports, “Toronto-based filmmaker Waseem Shaikh has released his latest work, the award-winning short film Cold, online for free. The film “is about one night in Toronto where several lives intersect—each of them oblivious to the loneliness that connects them all,” said Shaikh. He also said the film speaks to “the feeling of isolation one often deals with in gay circles.” ”

– NOMINATED for 5 TARA Awards.
– WINNER of Ryerson University’s 2013 President’s Award of Excellence.

Reference:  Short Film: “Cold” A Bitter-Sweet Ode to Toronto of Intersecting Lives of Cold to Strangers. 

Maybe it just wasn't marketed as well as it could've been, as it certainly deserved a wider range of recognition.