Hate summer? If you’re one of those vampire types already sick of the blazing sun, this film is for you. Inspired by actual events, it’s the literally chilling story of a fishing boat that capsized off Iceland in 1984. When this rust bucket plunges into the icy North Atlantic its small crew has 20, 30 minutes max before dying of hypothermia. But 24-year-old Gulli (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) swims for six hours, with only a seagull for company. His survival is impossible. And to be fair, big softy Gulli is the last man you’d expect to live.
The irritating thing about most films featuring sinking boats is that from certain angles you can see they’re fake – that is, shot in a really big tank with a scaled down boat. Not this one. Director Baltasar Kormákur filmed on an actual trawler, which he sank, and its authentic-looking scenes will leave you shivering and reaching for a cardy. The second half drifts a bit, as Gulli, safe and well, but guilty as hell for surviving, is taken to a lab to be prodded by men in white coats who would like to discover the science behind the miracle – he’s part ‘seal fat’ seems to be the best they can come up with.