Director
Joe Penna
(Feature film debut)

Stars
Mads Mikkelsen

A film that aims to ground its audience solely in the present, ARCTIC delineates one man’s battle for survival in one of the coldest and most uninhabited places on Earth. We know nothing about that man, Overgård (played by Mads Mikkelsen from THE HUNT and TV Series Hannibal) or where he was intending to fly before his plane crash somewhere in the Arctic. What we will soon learn about Overgård, however, is that he is equipped with an undeniable resilience and determination to live. A fate that rests in his decision to either trek through the unknown in search of something more or to remain within the confines of his makeshift home and wait for salvation.

If ARCTIC succeeds at preserving your attention till the end, it will be largely due to the anchoring performance of Mads Mikkelsen. Shot over 19 days in Iceland, the Danish-born actor has referred to this film being the most difficult shoot of his career to date. The physical requirements of this sole lead role in such harsh conditions more than justifies that analogy. Despite Mikkelsen’s tireless efforts throughout, ARCTIC finds itself on thin ice due to a screenplay that evolves to be all too bare.

There is no doubt that ARCTIC would possess a much stronger backbone had there been even some time invested into the background of our protagonist. Or just something to support his quest for survival. Perhaps if the handful of other occurrences during the film did not play out when and as expected quite like they do, then these shortcomings may not be as much of a factor. One specific incident and resulting situation had several opportunities to add greater dimension to this story than what it does. Despite being on thin ice, ARCTIC’s striking location and imagery, score, and non-lengthy duration, on top of its star’s fine work, do keep it solid enough.

3 stars 

Viewer Discretion
M (Occasional coarse language)

Trailer
ARCTIC

Moviedoc thanks Umbrella Entertainment for the link to watch and review this film.

Opens nationally on Feb 14

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc
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