Captain Ejnar Mikkelsen leads a Danish mission into northeast Greenland in 1909. He and the young mechanic Iver Iversen cross the frozen land to find records that can settle a fight over the map. Their return becomes a long battle against hunger, cold, a polar bear, and the slow loss of hope. The movie feels grim and tense, but the bond between the two men gives it warmth.
The main story follows duty, courage, friendship, and the need to trust another person. Ejnar starts as a hard leader who thinks he knows best, while Iver proves calm, loyal, and able to learn. The mission treats the Danish land claim as a matter of national duty and hard-won proof from the time. Ejnar's visions of Naja add a straight love story and show his mind breaking under years of being alone.
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Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Against the Ice.
Woke representation / casting
Not present. The film uses a mostly male European cast for a 1909 Danish polar mission. Its only important woman appears as Ejnar's love and in his visions.
0%
Woke political dialogue
Not present. The men discuss Danish and American land claims as part of their mission and its history. The dialogue does not turn the dispute into modern activist or identity politics.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
Not present. The story follows survival, courage, friendship, and Ejnar's need to trust Iver. No plot turns on race, gender, sexuality, or modern identity politics.
0%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Not present. A Danish minister speaks coldly about rescue costs and the colonies. The film does not build this into a wider modern attack on Western culture or institutions. The ending honors the explorers and their mission.
0%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The film expands Naja's role through Ejnar's memories and visions. Her role supports a straight romance and his mental decline. The film does not change either explorer's race, sex, or sexuality for a political message.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Not present. Audience complaints focused on pacing, effects, dog deaths, and story choices. Reviewed coverage did not show claims that the film pushes woke, DEI, queer, or left-wing politics.
0%
Creator track record context
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has a cached score of 35 for work on gender equality, women's empowerment, climate action, and reduced inequality. Joe Derrick scores 12, while Baltasar Kormákur scores 10 for limited climate or cultural inclusion work. Peter Flinth, Selma Björnsdóttir, and Ejnar Mikkelsen each score 0, so the wider team shows little activist pattern.
12%
Production
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