Centigrade
Admittedly, the first half of “Centigrade” is kind of annoying. Even though it’s inspired by a true story, the idea of being stuck with this couple in a frozen-in car borders on insufferable. Eventually, co-writer/director Brendan Walsh’s movie finds its footing emotionally, and this survival thriller has us on board by the end.
Matt (Vincent Piazza) and Naomi (Genesis Rodriguez) wake up to find themselves entombed in their car. They pulled off to the side of the road after getting stuck in an ice storm, and fell asleep, causing them to get trapped in the vehicle. They are in Norway for author Naomi to receive an award, and have no cell phone service. Oh, and Naomi is pregnant.
Knowing this is a true story, we can figure that at least one of the people in this car got out- it’s up to Walsh to make us care whether they do, and early on, the script by he and Daley Nixon doesn’t really do them any favors. These characters seem to do nothing but argue, and blame each other- Matt, in particular, is a bit of a dick- and while I have no doubt this is an honest representation of the situation, it doesn’t help with our ability to empathize with them. Take the scene where Naomi wakes up, and finds herself able to get faint signal, so she makes a call to her dad; how it ends is predictable, but the way Matt chastises her is awful. It’s around that moment, however, when the film shifts, and “Centigrade” begins to string scenes on top of scenes together for the film can ratchet up some suspense, and feeling for these characters. By the end, I have done a 180 on this movie.
A film like “Centigrade” works only because the director succeeds in building a claustrophobic setting, and a seemingly hopeless scenario, but also finds ways to show that hope is possible, if difficult. On all of these fronts, Walsh succeeds. The emotional part of it takes time to kick in because of what I discussed when it comes to the characters above, but on a cinematic level, Walsh makes his film work, adding ominous landscape shots that only add to how isolated the characters are. He’s a strong craftsman, and “Centigrade” ends up holding us captive the whole way through.
Centigrade looks really intense and I’m looking forward to seeing it when it comes to the home market.