Katy Lake

Mads Mikkelsen’s performance is stunning in this austere thriller. The backdrop of the frozen arctic tundra underscores how utterly alone Mikklesen’s stranded pilot character is, his aloneness broken only by the arrival of an injured fellow air crash survivor. The tender way he cares for her and his utterly courageous determination to save her and himself is beautiful. Barely a word is spoken, feelings conveyed only by Mikklesen’s keen and, at times, mournful, eyes and gentle actions to make his young patient feel protected (he utters ‘You are not alone’ and ‘It will be okay’ several times after the immensity of yet another desperate struggle threatens to overwhelm, which I found heart-rendingly lovely). And yet this gentleness is starkly juxtaposed with the pilot’s heroic physical and mental prowess and grim determination to survive. I saw it as a metaphor for life - when all seems hopeless, everything pared down, will your heart stay alive, can you look beyond yourself, fight to keep going, and learn to live more fully than ever after you’ve journeyed through to the safety that lies on the other side. Highly recommended.