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Earlier this year, while we were home in lockdown, people often talked about the claustrophobic feeling of being stuck at home with nowhere to go. But being stuck at home is nowhere near as terrifying as the thought of being trapped in a snow-covered car like the characters in Centigrade.
Centigrade follows the story of American novelist Naomi (Genesis Rodriguez), who travels with her husband, Matt (Vincent Piazza), to Norway for a book tour. When the drive to their hotel turns icy, they decide to pull over and wait out the storm. But when they wake up, they find themselves trapped, buried in ice and snow, unable to start the car or call out for help. They have few supplies—and, to complicate matters even more, Naomi is pregnant. But there’s little they can do but wait in the car and hope to be found.
Despite this harrowing set-up, though, Centigrade isn’t an especially action-packed film. Matt and Naomi are confined to the small space inside their rental car. It’s cold, and they’re surrounded by nothing but the bluish-white glow of ice and snow. It definitely makes for a claustrophobic (and mostly monochromatic) experience—but, really, there’s not much more to it.
As the days pass, there are, understandably, plenty of tensions and the occasional arguments. Naomi wants to break through the window and try to go for help, while Matt insists that there’s no way to dig through the ice and snow. The two also have secrets that eventually come out. But none of these human elements make for very powerful drama. Instead, the film relies on the drama that comes from outside—from the icy blizzard that left them buried and hidden.
This terrifying situation will definitely keep viewers holding their breath, waiting to see whether the couple will be able to survive—and, if so, how they’ll manage. But it will also bring up a few too many questions—like why no one comes looking for them or why a pregnant woman decides that it’s a good idea to travel to Norway so close to her due date. And with not a lot going on, it will leave viewers with a lot of time to consider the problems with the plot.
The set-up for Centigrade is certainly horrifying—but instead of taking this life-or-death situation and filling the story with new threats and new horrors, it’s a surprisingly mellow thriller. And that doesn’t exactly make for a gripping experience.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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