Entertainment

Arctic ticket giveaway

12. Feb, 2019

Against a vast, swirling canvas of never-ending white, a single figure in a red parka trudges, one foot in front of the other, head down, through an ocean of snow. This image is repeated, with small variations, again and again throughout Arctic, writer/director Joe Penna’s tale of survival and human endurance.

So much of the story of Mads Mikkelsen’s stranded pilot, Overgard, is based on repetition. It is how he survives day in and day out, sticking to a routine and a schedule, the long stretches of silence spent on the frozen wastelands gathering supplies, signalling for help broken by the shrill alarm of his watch. This is how we meet Overgard, our pilot. We have no idea how long he has been stranded. Long enough for him to have established a camp and a schedule, it would appear.

It is when Overgard’s monotonous existence is interrupted by the arrival of a stranger into camp that he is forced to undertake a perilous journey to find safe haven. He can no longer wait for rescue but must find it himself. And so leaving his camp, stripping himself of the barest of comforts he had gathered, Overgard must face everything the arctic wild can throw at him.

With little dialogue, Mikkelsen builds the character of Overgard purely through actions big and small. His craggy, weatherbeaten face registering every misstep and curse of fate that befalls him with an all too human mix of humour and desperation. Overgard is tested not just by the difficulty of traversing the snowy wasteland but of being reduced to his most primal of urges and reasoning.

The core question beating at the heart of Arctic is in an environment this cruel, can a man survive and still remain a man? And this constant struggle is communicated, almost wordlessly, through Mikkelsen’s understated and moving performance.

Penna’s exploration of geographical and human extremes is contemplative, stirring and terror inducing in equal measure. Driven by a powerful solo performance and hauntingly beautiful cinematography of the white wilderness, Arctic is a timeless film exploring the depths of human courage and resolve.

Now is your chance to embark out into the wilderness! We are excited to share 5 FREE double passes to Arctic. All you need do is email ross@milkbarmag.com with the subject line ‘Arctic ticket giveaway’ and include in the body of your email your name, your postal address and what would you take with you on a trek through the snow.