One of the finest movies I have ever seen.
This movie is very restricted by definition. This number of people are in this location--an extremely restricted location, and not much varies for the entire length of the (long) movie. It could have been very repetitious. It could have gotten boring. It could have resorted to being gory and sensationalistic. There's no romance, no car chases or explosions, no comedy. So, everything rests on the power of the script, and the acting, and the cinematography. And those all came through!! The script did this real life event justice in exactly the way previous scripts did not! It was nuanced. It was poignant. The acting was superb. The characters well drawn. Powerful little moments, short moving speeches, moral dilemmas, existential questions, solidarity, tiny seconds of joy in the face of adversity. These actors starved themselves to play the roles realistically. You can't help but ask yourself repeatedly "What would I do?" in this situation and that.... I'm a big fan of Ernest Shackleton and the amazing story of his Endurance expedition. Many parts of this film paralleled that story (and if you enjoy this film and watching how people survive in extremely challenging circumstances then I recommend reading Shackleton's Way). In fact, I wish this director would create a great version of that Endurance story-- because no one else has captured it well. You get a feeling for the power of leadership (not just by one "leader" but by anyone who chooses to step up and influence the group in a positive way that leads to desirable outcomes). I was engaged the entire time. Hats Off! I hope it wins lots of recognition and awards.
This movie is very restricted by definition. This number of people are in this location--an extremely restricted location, and not much varies for the entire length of the (long) movie. It could have been very repetitious. It could have gotten boring. It could have resorted to being gory and sensationalistic. There's no romance, no car chases or explosions, no comedy. So, everything rests on the power of the script, and the acting, and the cinematography. And those all came through!! The script did this real life event justice in exactly the way previous scripts did not! It was nuanced. It was poignant. The acting was superb. The characters well drawn. Powerful little moments, short moving speeches, moral dilemmas, existential questions, solidarity, tiny seconds of joy in the face of adversity. These actors starved themselves to play the roles realistically. You can't help but ask yourself repeatedly "What would I do?" in this situation and that.... I'm a big fan of Ernest Shackleton and the amazing story of his Endurance expedition. Many parts of this film paralleled that story (and if you enjoy this film and watching how people survive in extremely challenging circumstances then I recommend reading Shackleton's Way). In fact, I wish this director would create a great version of that Endurance story-- because no one else has captured it well. You get a feeling for the power of leadership (not just by one "leader" but by anyone who chooses to step up and influence the group in a positive way that leads to desirable outcomes). I was engaged the entire time. Hats Off! I hope it wins lots of recognition and awards.