Arctic

There's no cold comfort to be found in this minimalist survival adventure, as Mads Mikkelsen's stranded pilot ponders whether to stay in his plane wreck-cum-makeshift home or brave the harsh Arctic tundra and find civilisation. Co-writer/director Joe Penna's gruelling but gripping debut feature begins with Mikkelsen's Overgård making the most of his dire situation - after all, he has food, water and shelter - while hoping a rescue is still imminent. However, an unexpected turn of events forces Overgård to leave his bolt hole to face blistering subzero snowstorms, unforgiving terrain and marauding polar bears. Mikkelsen has little dialogue and exudes stoic determination in the face of excruciating dilemmas, yet there's vulnerability beneath that inscrutable façade, too. It's a majestic performance that ranks alongside Robert Redford's solo tour-de-force in seafaring survival yarn All Is Lost, proving that sometimes silence can be golden.