“It’s Ok. You’re Not Alone”
Words that fuel the emotion of the 1 hour 37 minute movie as the stranded man named Overgard works hard throughout the movie to save not only himself but also a young woman who also crashes on the openness of the arctic.
The film overall, captures what its like to survive out in the bitter cold with little to no help as filmmakers display a new sense of rawness and fragility in what is based in part on very true events.
That being said, the film, shot on location in the frigid Icelandic landscape that is as much beauty as well as danger, some of the sites that Overgard faces would send shivers literally down ones spine.
Similar to other films of survival, one might say there are elements of the 2015 film The Revenant where the man is left in the wide open even having to face a similar bear attack, as well as the 2000 film Castaway, where Tom Hanks’ character is stranded on an island with only a Volleyball named Wilson as a companion.
The difference with Arctic is one does not know exactly how the man got stranded or his history prior. All we know is that evidence of his plane shows he crash landed unexpectedly but one doesn’t know how long he was by himself before the woman comes on the scene.
The very limited cast includes TV star Mads Mikkelson, from Hannibal in a very real role as he goes from that of rescue to that of just surviving as he now is given the fatherly role of aiding the young woman throughout the movie.
Maria Thelma Smaradottir debuts as the young woman, Overland aids in what one would call an equally dynamite role. Coming from a foreign film background Smaradottir, though limited in movement and words, still has a way of connecting to her male counterpart in a nonverbal way. What emotions she does use, show that of what its like to put her trust in a complete stranger, even when all hope seems lost.
All in All, Arctic is a tale of survival and hope. It will have anyone who wishes to experience it, leaving with a far deeper understanding of the term “Survival of the Fittest”. See it as it is currently playing in limited theaters near you.