Arctic Movie Review
Generally, I am a fan of survivalist films. All is Lost in 2013 was particularly gripping for me. If you haven’t seen that one, then you might want to check it out. It stars Robert Redford so how bad could it be? The movie Arctic is in a similar vein. The main character, Overgård (Mads Mikkelsen) is stranded in the Arctic. His plane crashed and it’s clear he has been there for quite some time hoping to be rescued. We follow him for the first third of the movie and experience his activities. All of them relate to him trying to survive. Carving SOS messages, checking radio waves for nearby aircraft, setting fishing rods and securing his makeshift habitat are just some of the things he does daily.
The movie is a bit slow to get into but when a helicopter crashes and Overgård rescues one of the passengers it starts to pick up a bit. There are only two humans in the whole movie so you can imagine why it’s a little slow moving. However, cinematographer Tómas Örn Tómasson does a great job of capturing the beauty of the Arctic while amplifying the harshness of the landscape. I spent a lot of time in the first half of the movie contemplating how anything, whether it be animal or human, could possibly survive in those conditions.
I liked this movie for the little moments that it showcased so well. For example, when Overgård talks to the young woman he rescues, it sounded so odd because for much of the first part of the movie we don’t hear any talking at all. And when he is laying her in the bed he sort of holds her for a second (not in a creep way don’t worry!). He just hasn’t had any human contact in so long that he takes a second to relish having someone around.
In this particular movie an interesting question that was posed was, “How much effort would you put into saving someone you didn’t even know?” Overgård puts in a heroic effort attempting to save a woman who is unconscious for much of the time. That, in addition to the more traditional man versus nature theme, made for some prime opportunities to insert moral or ethical dilemmas into the conversation. The only thing I didn’t really love was the ending. It felt a little hokey to me so if you see this one let me know how you feel about the end. I’d love to hear someone else’s thoughts. If you’re afraid of the Arctic or mountains or polar bears then you might want to avoid this one. Otherwise check this out for a really gripping presentation of a survivalist film.
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You like survivalist films
2. You like films with little dialogue
3. You want to experience the Arctic without freezing
