There’s a strong case to be made that the reporter is an underutilized protagonist in the thriller genre. They do much of the same job as a law enforcement officer, such as interviewing witnesses and suspects and attempting to find a perpetrator, but with perhaps an approach that is less dynamic and glamorous. The job of a reporter and the ethics of journalism are front and center in the new movie “Cold Copy,” helmed by first-time director Roxine Helberg from her own script.
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Helberg describes the story as one about “the personal cost of the manipulation of the truth.”
Bel Powley (“The Morning Show”) stars as Mia Scott, a green journalism student struggling to show herself to advantage in a class taught by established news reporter Diane Heger (Tracee Ellis Ross, “Black-ish”) By serendipity, Mia meets Igor Nowak (Jacob Tremblay, “Room”), the son of a writer who died under suspicious circumstances. Mia decides to leverage her friendship with Igor to investigate the death, all while becoming concerningly close to Diane.
Here is the official synopsis:
An ambitious journalism student falls under the thrall of an esteemed yet cutthroat news reporter whom she’s desperate to impress, even if it means manipulating her latest story… and the very idea of truth itself.
“Cold Copy” will be released in select theaters and on-demand via Vertical Entertainment on January 26, 2024.