We always enjoy a good movie, so we're glad to see the “survival thriller” genre growing in popularity through films such as The Revenant, The Mountain Between Us, and Jungle. Although these movies may not always be entirely realistic in their portrayals of survival scenarios, they're often entertaining and can provide the impetus for viewers to consider how they might survive in similar situations. We've definitely walked out of theaters thinking about the survival techniques depicted in these films, whether ridiculous or surprisingly viable.

Later this year, a new survival film known as Arctic will debut at the Cannes Film Festival in France. It stars Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen playing a pilot known only as Overgård. The synopsis explains: “A man stranded in the Arctic is finally about to receive his long-awaited rescue. However, after a tragic accident, his opportunity is lost. He must then decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown for potential salvation.”

Deciding whether to stay put and await rescue or head out to reach safety is a challenging question we have written about in the past, so we're interested to see how it pans out on screen. We're also fans of Mikkelsen's wonderfully-creepy performance in the TV series Hannibal. The teaser trailer below has also raised our hopes that this will be a character-driven story rather than a more typical action-packed Hollywood approach to the genre. See for yourself:

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Early reviews of the film seem positive. Variety writes, “it lets survival look like the raw experience it is.” Collider writes, “Mikkelsen impressively carries the film on his back as well as shoulders, freezing hands, and feet when he needs to.” The film will debut to the public on December 5th, 2018 in Cannes.

Written by Patrick McCarthy