RSS
Home
FLIFF movie review: `Beyond the Pole'
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Shooting Pictures
“It’s about the first Carbon Neutral, Vegetarian, Organic expedition to the North Pole” comments director David L. Williams about his new film, “Beyond the Pole”. That mouthful of a logline certainly bears a further comment from the filmmaker, “It’s kind of a disaster movie about someone trying to save the world from global warming.” David explains.
The film focuses on two friends, Mark and Brian, who decide to take this journey in order to raise awareness of global warming, get into the Guinness Book of Records and to show that anyone can do their part to make a difference in the world. “Don’t be impotent, be important” they exclaim (and they have shirts made with that saying). The problem is that they have never done anything like this before;in fact, neither of them are even an outdoorsman.
The film is a mockumentary, so it is shot as a documentary film crew documents Mark and Brian’s trip. The film gets a lot of its comedy just from the fact that these two likable guys have no business whatsoever making this dangerous trip. They train for the trip by sitting in a meat freezer all day and going around town to get sponsorship. The only person who will be accompanying the two is Steve, a veteran cameraman and artic specialist. Mark and Brian deal with all sorts of obstacles including frostbite, polar bears, and an ex-Olympian Norwegian gay couple also trying to reach the pole.
The film keeps plenty of laughs coming during the expedition as Brian has “phone sex” with his girlfriend back home, Sandra, via CB radio, finding out the hard way that a polar bear never forgets and Mark flipping out when one of the Norwegians claims, in front of the camera, that they gave Brian a biscuit. Making a mockumentary is a slippery slope in that, if the filmmaker makes the smallest mistake, it can take the audience out of the film. David L Williams does something very smart as he turns this lighthearted film into something darker as the film progresses. This keeps the film fresh as it is something the audience does not expect. One can even compare the latter stages of “Beyond the Pole” to Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” in its Man vs. Nature theme. Mark can draw some comparisons to Robert Shaw’s portrayal of Quint in how his obsession of the quest slowly draws him into madness.
A great deal of the film’s success has to do with its two stars, Rhys Thomas (Brian) and Tony nominated actor Stephen Mangan (Mark). The two are known for their comedic prowess in Britain and they carry the film well. While the film had a script, David reveals he did let his cast improvise, especially scenes in which Mark and Brian interact with the gay Norwegians Ketil (Lars-Arentz Hansen) and Terie (recent Scream award winner for “Best Villain” for his portrayal of Eric on HBO’s ‘True Blood”, Alexander Skarsgard). The solid cast is rounded out by Rosie Cavaliero who plays Brian’s girlfriend, Sandra, and Mark Benton who plays “Graham”, Mark’s other best friend who is in charge of the CB shack back home.
The film was shot on the floating sea ice of Greenland, which really adds to the Mise en scène of the film. The movie is based on a radio play which the filmmakers optioned in 2003. They spent a long time developing the script. “If something wasn’t strong enough, it simply didn’t survive” the director talks about what he included in the complex screenplay. “Beyond the Pole” is certainly up there with other recent successfully mockumentary films such as “Best in Show” and “For Your Consideration”. It’s almost surprising to find Christopher Guest was not a part of this movie. The film also gives a very positive message in an entertaining fashion without shoving it down the audience’s throat, a goal David had from the outset. "Beyond the Pole" also went on to win a special jury prize at FLIFF for Best Feature Production. The movie should have people talking about it long after they leave the theater. A filmmaker could not ask anything more from their work.
Beyond the Pole trailer
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
