Frozen

Frozen is presented on DVD with a small smattering of extras.

First up, the picture transfer is pleasing. The contrast is often high, and the colour scheme is muted, accentuating harsh gray-blues. This is accurate to the theatrical presentation, and is presented in 16x9 enhanced widescreen - framed at 1.78:1. Film grain is not an issue, however, modest video noise is present, and the MPEG2 compression occasionally draws out dot-crawl from it. Noticable on larger screens, but not terribly distracting. McKoen admits to freely mixing digital video mediums, and manipulating images after the fact. It's all really rather beautiful.

Audio is presented in a modest Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, which decodes nicely in a ProLogic II 5.1 surround setup. The soundstage is primarily front-centric, with only occasional bass, which is never deep. Music is atmospherically used and well recorded. A natural and unshowy mix.

Note that the interview audio is technically flawed - it is incorrectly encoded for surround decoders. The interview audio collapses to the surround speakers, with the front speakers remaining silent. Engage plain stereo for these pieces.

The extras are light, but occasionally enlightening. The best on the disc is an unadvertised interview with director Juliet McKoen. She discusses the genesis of the project, an amalgamation of a murder case and a vivid magazine article in which a mother explains what it feels like to lose her daughter and just not know what has become. She also openly discusses her purpose in depicting the "subliminal aspects of consciousness" cinematically.

Actors Shirley Henderson and Rosen Seth also discuss their contribution in short interview pieces. Henderson reminisces on her affinity for the setting, and her insistence on driving home the difficulty to "not bore people", with Kath's "manicness and determination". Seth dwells on the straightforward sexuality of the characters and suspense of the story, from his earliest impressions. His research also involved being counselled by a psychiatrist, with whom he shared "deep secrets". The actors do not share anything on the film's production.

A Making Of cannibalises B-Roll footage, the same interview pieces as above, and clips from the film. A ten-minute show of not very much.

The trailer is also present and correct, and the audio is correctly encoded for 2.0 Surround.

Two film posters, and a short Public Service announcement from The Suzy Lamplugh Trust - to which 10 per cent of the DVD profit goes - round off the disc.