Bleecker Street has released the first trailer for the upcoming Icelandic survival thriller Arctic starring Hannibal‘s Mads Mikkelsen, which can be viewed in the player below!
RELATED: First Look at Mads Mikkelsen in Polar Adaptation Released
The official synopsis for the film reads as follows: “The sole survivor of a plane crash in an icy wasteland lives by his wits as he waits for help to arrive. But when a long awaited rescue effort fails, he faces a life or death decision: remain in the relative safety of his camp and hope to be found or embark on an arduous trek that may be the only hope for both him and a crtically injured stranger.”
Arctic, which marks the directorial debut of Joe Penna and was co-written by Penna and Ryan Morrison, was an official selection at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and has received highly positive reviews thus far, currently maintaining a 92 percent positive rating from critics on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes.
Penna, who’s well-known for his successful YouTube channel MysteryGuitarMan, chose to continue what worked well in the videos by eliminating any possibility of language barrier issues by using very little dialogue in the film.
RELATED: Teen Spirit Trailer: Elle Fanning Sings From Her Heart
“It can make storytelling more complicated,” Penna describes. “I tried to throw in little mysteries that intrigue and entertain the audience without words. We open this film with a scene of a man digging in the snow that is difficult to understand until we pull back into an extremely wide shot.”
Penna and Morrison meticulously researched the film, speaking with practiced Arctic pilots and other experts. A mountain of information was needed to create a movie that would be scientifically accurate, explains the director. “There is a lot of research out there. Detailed resources. People who are more than willing to help. I also spoke with survivors of extreme situations to find out what went on in their minds. Before it happened, would they have thought this was something they could do? All of that went into the creation of what this character does and what drives him to a completely selfless act.”
Arctic is set to hit theaters on February 1.
