Frozen (2010)

“Frozen” was one of those movie selections that I randomly made on Netflix one night which turned out to be one of the best surprises in a long time. This movie is a wonderful physiological thriller, placing the main characters in a situation that gives them time to think of what to do and to realize how stranded and dire their predicament is. Staring Shawn Ashmore (The Ruins), the movie is about two old friends and a girlfriend who tagged along on a weekend trip to the mountains for skiing and snowboarding. Sneaking in one last run before the resort closes for the weekend, the three end up becoming trapped high above the ground on the ski lift after the operations close down without checking for them. It’s a harrowing situation where they have to deal with the freezing temperatures, a storm that’s coming, hunger, and hungry wolves pacing below their feet.

Joe wants to spend the weekend skiing with his childhood friend Dan, but Dan has brought his girlfriend, Parker, along and she’s not very skilled in either skiing or snowboarding. Dan is also cheap and convinces Joe to bribe the lift operator to let the three of them up. As the day progresses Joe becomes more frustrated that they aren’t going down the hills that he and Dan can handle. So as the resort is closing, the three go up for one last, real run. But since the operator is expecting two people and not three, when the replacement operator sees two people come down the hill, they turn off the lift and go home. Unfortunately the three are still on the lift and no one realizes this.

At first there is plenty of blame among the three. They try to get the attention of a snowcat but the driver doesn’t notice them. Blame turns into worry and despair as they realize that they have been forgotten and a storm is approaching. Frostbite begins to set in as well as hunger. Dan decides to jump down from the lift but lands wrong and breaks both of his legs.  A pack of wolves were waiting nearby and attack and kill Dan.

The next morning Joe attempts to jump down, which he also hurts himself. But he is able to defend himself with a ski pole and manages to slide down the hill, promising to send help. The day turns into night and in the morning, Parker decides to try to climb down; as she is trying to do so, the lift chair breaks and she falls to the ground. She hurts her ankle but is able to make it down the mountain, finding Joe’s body torn up from wolf bites. She is able to find help and return to civilization.