Against the Ice (2022)
Genre: Historical Adventure | Survival Drama
Director: Peter Flinth
Starring: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Joe Cole, Heida Reed
Against the Ice (2022) tells the harrowing and inspiring tale of two explorers fighting not only against the brutality of nature but also the unraveling of their own minds in the vast, frozen wilderness of Greenland in the early 20th century.
In 1909, seasoned Danish explorer Captain Ejnar Mikkelsen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) embarks on a perilous expedition to prove that Northeast Greenland is a single landmass, not two separate islands as claimed by the United States. If proven false, the claim to a massive portion of Greenland would revert to Denmark.
After the tragic loss of many crew members to frostbite, starvation, and madness, only Ejnar and his inexperienced but determined mechanic, Iver Iversen (Joe Cole), remain. With no dogs left and limited supplies, the two men set out on a desperate sled journey across hundreds of miles of unforgiving ice to retrieve the vital records left by a previous failed expedition.
Each mile they travel, the ice becomes less of a physical element and more of a psychological force—endless, blank, and mirroring their growing isolation. Facing subzero temperatures, cracking glaciers, and constant whiteouts, the pair endure unimaginable suffering.
But nature isn’t their only enemy.
Iver, struggling to match Mikkelsen’s discipline and resolve, begins to hallucinate ghostly figures in the snow. He claims to see shadowy men watching from the ridges. Mikkelsen suspects the effects of snow blindness and exhaustion—but secretly, he begins hearing whispers in the wind himself.
The Cabin of Secrets
After weeks of treacherous travel, the pair finds the long-lost records buried beneath an abandoned outpost. The proof is real: Greenland is one landmass. Denmark's claim stands.
But celebration is short-lived. A blizzard strands them there for weeks. Rations run low. A polar bear stalks the area. Their dog sled is lost to the storm. And worst of all—no one knows they’re still alive.
The isolation takes its toll. Iver begins talking to the bones of the long-dead explorers buried nearby. Mikkelsen, too, begins to feel time slipping. A journal they uncover seems to detail events after the previous crew had supposedly died. Was someone still alive? Or did madness take them too?
Descent into Madness and Loyalty
As months pass, the men are forced to burn furniture for warmth, eat moss and leather, and trap whatever wildlife they can find. Mikkelsen hides his frostbitten fingers turning black. Iver grows increasingly erratic but remains loyal, never abandoning his captain.
When a Danish rescue ship fails to arrive as scheduled, hope wanes. The two men are presumed dead by the world. But in a powerful moment of resolve, Mikkelsen records one last message in his journal:
"History will not remember those who wait. It remembers those who endured."
The Rescue
In the spring of 1912—over two years after they vanished—an expedition from Iceland finally discovers the barely alive explorers. Mikkelsen can no longer walk. Iver clings to the flag they had planted atop a glacier, refusing to speak.
They are brought back to Copenhagen, where they are celebrated as heroes. But the scars remain—flesh and soul forever altered by what they faced.
Epilogue
Mikkelsen publishes his journal and advocates for mental health support for future explorers. Iver, reclusive but revered, never returns to the ice.
In one of the final scenes, Mikkelsen visits the original expedition’s memorial. Snow begins to fall. He stares into the white distance and whispers:
"The ice never forgets. And neither do I."
Tagline:
“Survival is only half the journey. The rest is remembering who you are.”
Themes:
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Endurance in the face of absolute isolation
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The fragile boundary between sanity and madness
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Brotherhood formed through suffering
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Man vs. Nature, and Man vs. Himself
