‘Frostbite’: A Nail-Biting Disaster Thriller [FrightFest Review]

Lukas Rinker, who previously helmed the aptly-titled Holy Shit!, has delivered a tension-filled disaster thriller with Frostbite. The script was written by Rinker alongside Peter Ahlén, and after watching this, you will probably never want to travel on a cable car again.

The film introduces us to a mismatched group of characters in the Canadian Rockies, including John (Mark Bennington), an engineer who wants to become rich from a planned hotel in the mountains, his daughter, Billie (Lily Curley), who he has a complicated relationship with, his distant partner, Martia (Zoe Boyle), businessman Mr. Lee (Adrian Pang), and foul-mouthed politician Mactavish (Andrew Scarborough). The conflicting personalities of the characters immediately lead to arguments even before they are in danger, with the script letting us know right away that these are individuals who will not cope well if they are trapped together.

As they are travelling in a cable car toward the top of a mountain, a controlled explosion goes awry, causing the car to collapse in a thrilling sequence which seems like it came straight out of a much bigger budgeted film. The group finds themselves trapped under a massive pile of ice on the edge of a high slope, with little chance of rescue or survival. With tensions running high as the situation becomes increasingly desperate, the group desperately begins to bicker and toss around accusations, while desperately searching for a way out of their predicament. And, as if the situation was not already dangerous enough, wolves soon begin trying to make their way into the downed car where the small group is trapped, further reducing their chances of survival.

It goes without saying that Frostbite is clearly a very claustrophobic film, with most of it taking place within the trapped cable car. The actors all expertly play off one another, with the conflicting personalities of the characters becoming palpable as arguments and accusations of blame are constantly tossed around, and since the individuals clearly think they are about to die, they become increasingly less restrained with what they say. Frostbite therefore works equally well as a character study in addition to being a disaster film, since it showcases how people express their true nature when they feel the end is just around the corner.