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Arctic - If you've never seen Mads Mikkelsen in anything or even if you have and you want definitive proof of just how good an actor he is then you need to watch this. I've never seen Hannibal but I've heard and read the near universal acclaim he's garnered for his work in that series. And I did watch Valhalla Rising, another example of him doing some gargantuan heavy lifting acting wise with little to no dialogue.
In this film he literally and quite single-handedly carries the movie. He plays H. Overgård and in the films cold (both figurative and literal) opening he is shown working his way through what appears to be a methodical routine. He laboriously digs in frozen tundra, checks an array of fishing lines and trudges up a rise where he hand cranks what appears to be a homing transmitter of some kind. First time Brazilian director Joe Penna gradually reveals that Overgård has survived a plane crash in the frozen snowbound wilderness. The digging is his SOS banner and the fishing lines are his only source of food. It's also never clearly delineated how long he has been there but he does have a relatively safe shelter in the wreckage of his plane. This all changes one day when he spots a rescue helicopter while making his rounds in the middle of a rapidly building storm. The chopper crashes and he finds an injured young woman in the wreckage. Her copilot has died and Overgård takes her back to his makeshift home and tends to her wounds as best he can. It's only after looking through her effects and realizing the extent of her injuries that he accepts he no longer has the limited luxury of waiting for a rescue that may never come. With the help of a topographical map he salvages from the helicopter he decides to undertake the long and perilous journey with the young woman to the nearest outpost.
Mikkelsen probably doesn't utter more than a couple of dozen words over the course of the movie. His performance is accomplished solely with his marvelously expressive face. I've been a fan of his since Casino Royale, Flame and Citron and Valhalla Rising but he just blew me away in this. He is onscreen about 99% of the time with the young actress playing the pilot (Maria Thelma Smáradóttir) filling in the rest and there are no dead spots. The beautiful and austere Icelandic landscapes contribute mightily as well.
Took your recommendation and watched this last night. Survival films are not at the top of my watch list, but this one was exceptionally well done. Mads Mikkelsen is the only star in the picture, since the female character (Maria Smaradottir) never utters a word, and spends most of her screen time unconscious.
We’re treated to an uncommon beginning as we realize that Mikkelsen has survived his small plane crash in the arctic, and is digging a help sign in the snowy turf. He’s faced with a dilemma; he can either stay where he is, living in the plane wreck with food and water available, or try a near impossible trek to civilization. The rescue helicopter’s crash, leaving Maria alive, eventually makes up his mind for him.
Mikkelsen provides a tour de force performance, representing a gamut of human emotions without speech. Even absent the ambient sounds this would make an excellent silent film. The movie keeps the viewer on edge with the underlying feeling that they may be doomed. It must have been a difficult production with the entire picture shot in an arctic deep freeze. The run time is perfect at 98 minutes.
I was surprised to learn that this was both the director’s (Joe Penna) and co-writer’s (Ryan Morrison) first feature film, having done only a few shorts before this. The film had the feel of a seasoned director at the helm. It’s safe to say that Penna will have gotten plenty of offers following this fine film. It’s got an 8/10 from me.
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He did make four other noirs. The film I seen him in last night was kinda of an odd one, I should make an effort and write a little something about it.
