This movie from IFC Films will be available for streaming rental Friday August 28th on most platforms.
When you see the words “Inspired by actual events” written at the beginning of a movie without any more detail or explanation, you’d be wise to take what you’re about to see with more than a grain of salt. The new thriller Centigrade describes itself as such a tale that features characters enduring impossibly harsh conditions in the coldest of environments. Admittedly, there are a couple of tense and claustrophobic moments, but so much of what occurs seems exaggerated and even preposterous… especially given the fact that it’s trying so hard to convince you of its authenticity. If you hadn’t guessed by now, the picture ends up being a slog that didn’t end up impressing this reviewer.
Set in 2002 (when cell phone signals weren’t very strong and were unlikely to get you out of a situation at a remote locale), opening title cards explain that the following events occurred when American novelist Naomi (Genesis Rodriguez) embarked on a small book tour in Norway with her husband Matthew (Vincent Piazza). It is revealed that while traveling through the mountains on the way to their next tour stop, a snowstorm and icy conditions forced them to move to the shoulder of the road. Now buried in snow and ice, they find themselves unable to escape their iced-up vehicle. Beyond having to wait for help and sustain themselves with limited supplies, it appears that Naomi is also more than 8-months pregnant.
The movie begins with Naomi and Matthew awakening and arguing with each other about their predicament and what to do next in order to get the doors open. It’s normal to introduce conflict into a story as early as possible, but having the two leads fight and call out each other on their decision-making abilities in the opening scene does little to endear viewers to them. The situation is already one of confusion, consternation and danger, and so the nastiness on display (at least early on) is entirely unnecessary.
It’s certainly not the performers fault, but the leads aren’t exceptionally well written. While one can imagine that panic and increasingly cold temperatures might cause problems with motor functions, this is never explicitly dealt with. It is also remarkable how often the leads make bad decisions, only to come to the correct conclusion days later. The leads try to chip and punch their way through the ice, only to realize long afterward that they can use their feet/boots and other parts of the car to do the same job. Excuses aside, seeing as the protagonist have nothing else to do but explore the vehicle, it’s remarkable that they don’t make any of their discoveries much earlier in the process.
Their strange behavior and fights that occasionally turn violent distances viewers more and more. Naomi loses more points by initially insisting they not eat food-related gifts for others. Later, with a dying battery, she manages to find a phone signal and misuses the call by contacting her family and not mentioning where she thinks they may be stranded (if she was going to waste a call, she could have at least dialed up her agent and screamed at the person for sending her on a book tour to a remote area Norway in the dead of winter). In the end, all sympathy towards the couple decays as the days and, yes, weeks pass. By the time the inevitable pregnancy complications occur, it’s all too hard to swallow.
I’m guessing that I already know the story that may have “inspired” this film and it’s a very, very different tale with far fewer exaggerations. It’s a challenge to create palpable drama when everything takes place in one location, but recent films like 7500 and Greyhound have risen to the task. It’s much harder to relate to these individuals and their struggles while being trapped in their car. Despite the feature’s best intentions and hard work of the stars, Centigrade is too icy and exaggerated to truly chill viewers to the bone.