Arctic

In this stark, icy survival story, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen plays Overgard, a researcher/explorer whose tiny plane crashed in a frozen wasteland. The resourceful Overgard’s been living in the plane’s cabin for weeks (if not longer), sustained by raw fish pulled from beneath the ice. The viewer first sees him trudging around, digging, scraping, grunting, and clearing a series of paths in the snow—which turn out to form a large black SOS sign in the white tundra, hopefully visible from the sky. In addition, Overgard spends hours manually cranking a transmitter and signaling for rescue. When a helicopter hovers nearby, he’s ecstatic—until the ferociously howling polar wind causes it to crash. The only survivor is a badly injured woman (Maria Thelma Smaradottir), who Overgard is determined to save. She’s in a state of shock, so Overgard scavenges a functional cigarette lighter, camper stove, instant ramen, and maps and flares, carrying her to his makeshift shelter, where he closes a bleeding gash in her belly with a staple gun. Soon, Overgard realizes that cautiously remaining in his downed plane is futile, so he devises a sled to courageously transport the comatose woman across the vast wilderness, seeking refuge in a cave or quickly constructed igloo. It’s an arduous, perilous trek, during which a prowling polar bear is a continuous adversary, first stealing Overgard’s stash of arctic trout, and then threatening their lives. Shot in Iceland, Brazilian-born director Joe Penna’s engaging survival drama boasts spectacular cinematography by Tomas Orn Tomasson. Recommended. (S. Granger)