Movie Reviews - Arctic

Director: Joe Penna
Genre: Adventure/ Drama
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Maria Thelma Smáradóttir

Description: A man stranded in the Arctic (Mads Mikkelsen) after a plane crash must decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown.

Review: This Icelandic drama isn’t rich when it comes to plot, but leans completely on the emotions and experiences of the lead character.
As the title says, the films is set in the Arctic, in the North Pole area, where we meet a man who is busy digging into snow. When the camera pans out, you see he is trying to carve S.O.S into the snow. The situation is clear immediately: the man is stranded and has been there for quite a while. He already made a map of the area and has developed a daily routine to make life bearable. The movie needs just a few simple shots to tells us about his situation. No voice-overs, no flashbacks, no history. The wreckage of the plane says it all.
The movie never shows the actual crash, which makes it unique. The film starts when the end of all the misery has already begun. The man is found by a helicopter, but all hope is lost when it crashes. The pilot dies, but one of the passengers is heavily injured. He starts to take care of her. Now it’s not just him who is surviving, he tries to make sure the young woman also survives. From that moment, the man decides to no longer stay in his ‘safe haven’ but to start walking and find help.
Like I stated before, it’s a simple premise: a man struggling to survive in the cold Arctic. A thin base for a survival film. But luckily for us there is Mads Mikkelsen. He is one of the best actors today. He is a reliable actor that doesn’t necessarily have to play a sympathetic character. Although his performance in “Arctic” is mostly physical, he gives away a perfect one-man-show. There is also a lot of focus on psychological moments and he shows a wide spectrum of emotions. He is just a resourceful and resolute as he is scared and selfish. Mikkelsen himself claims that filming “Arctic” as the hardest thing to do in his career.
“Arctic” has enough to keep your attention for an hour and a half, but it never goes too deep. It could have easily become a boring movie if it weren’t for Mikkelsen.

Rating: 3,5/ 5