While they’re perennial favorites, snowy survival dramas are having a moment right now. In the past month, we’ve been offered five of them from various distributors, including Hulu‘s “No Exit,” Netflix’s “Against the Ice,” and now, the nearly-silent thriller “Infinite Storm” from Bleecker Street. This gripping, taciturn thriller set in a frozen landscape isn’t necessarily any different from the other titles, but the well-crafted drama is a good reminder of how tangible atmosphere can transcend predictable narrative. At least at first.
READ MORE: ‘Infinite Storm’ Trailer: Naomi Watts Tries To Survive A Blizzard
Naomi Watts is the perfect performer to star as Pam, a British woman who goes on daily wellness hikes but gets lost in a punishing polar landscape thanks to a surprise discovery on the slope. Watts’ steeliness brings an authenticity to Pam’s knowingness and ability to survive the harsh environment. She’s a character who seems skilled, confident, and undaunted in every one of the economic steps she takes. There’s no doubt this woman has logged thousands of hours learning the craft of outdoor survival.
Director Malgorzata Szumowska, who co-wrote the script with Joshua Rollins, doesn’t bother with a backstory for her lead character or even an explanation for her journey. There are no flashbacks, and the film is all the better for this careful restraint. All we know is that this woman must survive, save those she encounters and make tough, real-time decisions along the way.
When Pam tries to find her way back to base camp, she notices footsteps made by, of all things, sneakers. She assumes amateur stupidity but what she finds is more unnerving: a seated, hunched figure who won’t respond to any of her questions. That he’s in shorts is even more concerning, and it soon becomes clear that John (Billy Howle) has no plans of returning home.
As survival cinema, “Infinite Storm” has a slippery, unpredictable energy, where the wild-card that is John butts up against Pam’s stay-with-me-humor, which keeps things moderately warm like a Patagonia jacket in a blizzard. It doesn’t shield off the threat of frostbite nor the threat of starvation, but it does make the journey more enjoyable.
You’ll spend the first hour of “Infinite Storm” glued to the screen, swept up in a gale of winds, howls, and trumpeting skies. Szumowksa uses aerial shots to establish each scene, followed by a close-up of Pam trudging through the mountain ahead of her partner. There’s a put-you-there quality to these visuals that makes for a fine adventure.
And yet, as capable as “Infinite Storm” is for much of the picture, it starts to lose its grip in the last act. Perhaps it would’ve been better had it taken place entirely in the alps, but when “Infinite Storm” makes its way back to civilization, it all goes off the rails. In the wake of Pam’s heroics, we learn about her past, what makes her tick, and the sentimental, real-life motivation behind her hike up Mt. Washington. These scenes are not only wholly unnecessary, but they also weaken the film’s momentum. We don’t need to know anything about Pam because her story of struggle is evident in each gust of wind and barren vista and the metaphorical landscape that makes survival dramas so intriguing. She’s spent a lifetime training to live beyond her personal demons, and ultimately “Infinite Storm” doesn’t afford her the quiet dignity of resolve this character seems to have relished all along. [C]