Infinite Storm

One thing that can capture the excitement of the human spirit of most audiences is viewing a film about survival. It can send an adrenaline rush that keeps anyone on the edge of their seat. We've seen many films about this subject, i.e. "Alive" '93, "127 Hours" '10, "The Mountain Between Us" '17, and they were riveting, especially considering they all were based on a true story. Now we have yet another survival film based on a true story in the form of "Infinite Storm".

Based on a true story, an experienced mountain climber, Pam Bales (Naomi Watts) ascends Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, and subsequently turns back before she reaches the summit as a huge blizzard approaches. But on her way down, she encounters a lone, stranded man, (Billy Howle) that is half frozen. She attempts to communicate with him to get his name out of him, but since he doesn't respond quickly, she decides to call him John. Pam takes it upon herself to get them both down the mountain before nightfall arrives, otherwise they will succumb to the extreme bitterness of the storm. 

Others to round out the cast are Denis O'Hare as Dave, Eliot Sumner as hiker Will, Parker Sawyers as a reporter, Joshua Rollins as Finn, Lina Kolenko as Pam's daughter #2 and Arya Petric as Pam's daughter #1.

This was intensely directed by Malgorzata Szumowska ("Happy Man" 2000, "Visions of Europe" (segment- "Crossroad") '04, "Stranger" '04, "Moj tata Maciek" (documentary) '05, "Solidarity, Solidarity" (segment- "Father") '05, "33 Scenes from Life" '08, "Elles" '11, "In the Name Of" '13, "Body" '15, "Mug" '18, "The Other Lamb" '19, "Never Gonna Snow Again" '20) plus documentary shorts, a TV short and shorts. The film was also co-directed by Michal Eglert who also photographed the film. While I'm sure Eglert was pivotal with any input that was conveyed, assuredly Szumowska had the lion's share of the direction here. It's amazing how she was able to extract the correct emotion at just the right time given the scene from her actors. Both Watts and Howle, who shared the majority of the screen time, had an amazing chemistry to work off each other, and that's talented directing. She's a seasoned filmmaker and will continue to grab us with her work behind the camera. It was interestingly written by a virtual newcomer, Joshua Rollins (Acting), based  on her life by Pam Bales. Considering this is Rollins first screenplay, it was penned well. Did it have flaws? Sure, but the increased intensity and and sheer suspense made up for the few places of choppiness and cohesiveness issues. Undoubtedly, assuming Rollins receives more work, he could definitely be the writer he truly wants to be. The fact that he comes from an acting background can only help him, so as long as he can just get more work in the writing world, we will only be the victors for it. 

I've always been a fan of these survival films, especially those stranded on a mountain. I guess it comes from the fact that I used to be a backpacker back in the 1980's, so these films are just plain intriguing to me. But this was riveting--a great role for Watts who is such a talented actor, and with such a small cast, it made it that much more thrilling. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                                Rated: R                                                     97mins.