Against the Ice (2022) Movie Script
[wind gusts]
GREENLAND
AS PER LATEST SOURCES 1905
[panting]
[heavy breathing]
[dogs barking]
[man 1] Something's out there!
Iver, follow them.
Go see what it is, quickly.
Hand me the lantern.
It's the captain!It's the captain!
Whoa.
Whoa!
[ragged breathing]
Sir, did you find anything?
- Help Jrgensen. His feet are frozen.
- [man 2] Right, come on.
[grunts]
- [man 3] Holm's on his way.
- [man 1] Quick, Unger. Get the water.
[man 2]Jrgensen, lift your head up.
- Unger, hurry up with the water.
- It's coming!
- [man 4] Raise it. Easy.
- [man 1] It's all right. We got you.
- We got you.
- [man 4] Take it easy, Jrgensen.
[man 2]Unger, the water.
- Come on!
- [Unger] It's coming.
[man 4] Hold these.
Take it easy, Jrgensen.
[Jrgensen breathing heavily]
- Do you have some whiskey?
- [man 1] Yes. Get the man a drink.
[Unger] Here.
Wait, wait.
[captain] I'll take that.
- [man 2]Ejnar, hold him down.
- [Jrgensen exhales]
[man 1] Jrgensen, breathe.
Keep breathing.
Let's do this.
[Jrgensen breathing heavily]
[Ejnar] Okay.
[Jrgensen grunts]
- [man 4] Hold him.
- [Ejnar] One, two, three.
- [bone cracks]
- [screams]
- ["Joy to the World" playing]
- [Unger humming]
All right.
- Thank you.
- Got it?
- [sighs]
- Good. Smells like Christmas.
One, two, three.
- Oh!
- [laughs]
- [Ungar] Who's hungry?
- Everybody.
[crew] Starving.
[Ungar] Here we go, boys.
- Looks great.
- Finally.
[man 1] You've done yourself proud,
sunshine.
- It's about time we found a use for you.
- [laughter]
[Ejnar] Gentlemen,
can I have your attention?
- Party's over.
- [man 2] Quiet, Poulsen.
- I want you all to raise your glasses...
- [crew] Of course.
[Ejnar] ...to...
to loved ones back home,
to the men who gave their lives
exploring the last unknown parts
of our kingdom.
To the Denmark Expedition.
And to you,
for joining me
in fulfilling their mission.
Skl.
Skl.
Halfway there.
[Ejnar] Ah!
Our long search
didn't go quite as planned.
- Jrgensen can testify to that.
- [quiet chuckles]
As expected,
it was hard to trace any signs
of the vanished expedition.
However,
we found this.
A diary from one of the men.
And a map
that apparently shows the location
of the cairn
where Mylius-Erichsen left
his final records of the unknown land.
What's a cairn?
A cairn's a stack of stones
you can see from far away.
So, therefore,
I'll attempt another journey.
[man 2] What?
[Poulsen] Another?
Well, this time further,
across the ice cap,
to retrieve the findings they left behind.
We're not going home then?
[sighs]
This is why we're here, boys.
Without these findings,
the North of Greenland could be lost,
claimed by the Americans.
Now, Jrgensen is incapacitated,
and I can't do it alone,
which provides one of you lucky boys
with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
I'll need a volunteer to accompany me.
[dogs barking]
Has anyone volunteered yet?
You're kidding, right?
Jrgensen's feet were wrecked.
[Poulsen] Aren't you next in line, Laub?
Shut up, Poulsen. Some of us have family.
Why don't any of you want to go with him?
You saw the map.
It's like walking from Moscow to Rome
looking for a stack of stones.
[Poulsen] Not to mention
doing it with the captain.
Iver knows him all right.
He knew all about him
before he came aboard, right?
I mean, I've read about him,
but everybody has, haven't they?
[scoffs] Not everyone's a fan,
Iver Iversen.
- Not everyone can read. Right, Unger?
- Try reading this!
[mocking cheers]
[laughter]
[Poulsen] Come on!
Captain.
Mm.
I was...
just wondering...
[hesitates]
I don't know
how many volunteers you've had already...
Well, that would be none.
[clears throat] What I'm trying to say is
technically, I'm out of a job.
Mm-hm.
As long as we're parked up here,
the motor won't be needed.
I'd like to come with you,
if you'd allow me.
I'm good with a rifle,
and I'm learning how to drive the dogs.
I'd really like to come, Captain.
I'll keep that in mind.
Thank you, Iversen.
Thank you, Captain.
[Laub] Poulsen, hand me those harnesses.
- What's Iversen up to?
- [Iver] Come on.
- Looks like he needs a hand.
- [Iver] Stay there.
Hey! Hey!
All of you stay here, okay?
[dogs yap]
[Iver] Okay.
Hey! Hey!
Hey, stop!
Stay there!
- You talk to him.
- [Iver] Hey!
Here, let me give you a hand.
Iversen, the dogs work for you.
Remember that.
Out on the ice,
each dog can pull
a hundred pounds of weight from the start.
Once that hundred pounds has been eaten,
well, that dog
becomes surplus to requirement.
So we shoot the worst dog,
feed it to the others.
So, Iversen, don't become best friends.
You've heard Iversen volunteered.
- [Laub] I have, sir.
- What are your thoughts on him?
- Iversen?
- Yeah.
Uh...
He's a good lad.
- Very brave.
- Mm.
Strong character.
Have you seen him with the dogs?
Clearly he needs
to work a bit harder to improve.
But you think he can do it?
I believe so, yes.
That's all.
[record playing]
[Unger] Don't be ridiculous.
Surely that's too heavy.
I'm telling you, it's unsinkable.
They've spent $1 million already.
It's got combination turbines
and reciprocating engines
guaranteed to maintain
a speed of 21 knots.
- Translation, anyone, please?
- [man 1] What are you talking about?
[Laub] Is the Alabama
not up to your standard?
Go on about thiswith the captain,
he'll put a bullet in your head.
Yeah, usually I'd say
Poulsen's talking shit,
but I've gotta agree,
I daren't say two words to him.
[chuckles] The captain's not that bad.
[crew laughs]
I have to say, Iver,
I think you've lost your mind.
What do you know about sledging,
surviving on the ice when it's 40 below?
Yeah, and polar bears
and all that other scary shit out there.
I think Iver has got quite the handle
on those dogs now.
It's not too late to change your mind.
This is my third trip up here
and I still hate those fucking dogs.
If they were any more inbred,
they'd be sandwiches.
- [laughter]
- No, come on.They're amazing.
Once you learn to trust your lead dog,
it kind of falls into place.
Mine's Bjrn.
He keeps the others in check.
He does all the work.
Ooh!
Check out Iver
and his new favorite dog, Bjrn!
[laughs]
[Jrgensen sighs]
I feel like I've let you down.
Ah.
You need to get yourself right.
Besides, Iversen's stepped up.
What?
He's a mechanic.
He wouldn't even be on this trip
if our engine hadn't failed in Reykjavik.
Just look after Alabama for me.
I've got to say this.
You're not a young man anymore.
You're risking your life, Iversen's life.
You want us to give up without trying?
We did try.
We did our best.
Nonsense.
What about Naja?
Do you expect her to wait for you?
- You've got nothing to prove.
- This is not about me.
The committee's instructions were clear.
The sea opens up by July.
If we're not back by August
before the sea freezes, then you go.
- You'll basically be on your own.
- That's an order.
Iversen is the best, if not the only, man
willing to make the trip.
I respect your concern,
but we are leaving tomorrow.
Yes, Captain.
[Laub] Iver, stand closer to the captain.
Yep, that's it.
Three, two, one.
[chuckles] Excellent.
[laughter]
[Laub] Thanks for that.
- Good luck.
- [Iver] Thank you.
Thank you.
I'll see you in August.
Take care, lads!
- [Poulsen] You too, Captain.
- [Unger] All the best.
Good luck.
Thank you, Jrgensen. Thank you.
[dogs barking]
[shouts] Hup!
Good luck, Captain.
[Iver] Go on, boys!
[Laub] Good luck, Iver!
He's going to need it.
[Iver geeing up dogs]
Iversen!
Get behind.
Whoa!
Whoa!
[laughs]
Go on, Bjrn!
Go on, boys!
Oh, my God.
- Are we gonna try and get up there?
- Well, there's always a way up.
It's just finding the quickest route.
I bet there's a quick way down too.
Mm, which is why I need you
to concentrate at all times.
We need to get up to get across.
[grunts]
[straining]
[grunting]
Come on.
One, two, three, pull.
One, two, three.
- [grunting]
- [heavy breathing]
[Ejnar] Pull!
[breathless] That's it. That's it.
[panting]
It's like we've landed on the moon.
[pants]
How many cubic meters of ice
do you think this is?
Must be at least two million,
do you think?
I need you to watch where you're walking.
[sniffs, exhales]Iversen, let's unhook.
[wind howls]
[dogs yap]
[Iver] I'm reading this article you wrote
about the Denmark Expedition.
Mm.
[chuckles] Amazing, isn't it?
Now I'm here with you, reading your story.
Very interesting.
They had so much equipment, didn't they?
They even had an automobile.
Imagine that! Driving across the ice.
It's ridiculous.
What type do you think it was, Captain?
Crossley?
What horsepower was the engine?
Can you remember?
Was it four to eight perhaps?
[dog whimpers]
Captain.
Captain, that's my lead dog, Bjrn.
I think he'd like to come in the tent.
Would that be okay?
[blows]
Little wonder they got lost out here.
Right.
[Iver] All alone
All alone
All alone
On the ice
All alone
All alone
All alone
On the ice
No one around
No one in sight
Just me and Ejnar
[calls to dogs]
On the ice
[wind gusts]
[dogs panting]
[wind howls]
[barking]
Captain, I wanted to ask,
what do you think really happened
to the Denmark Expedition?
- To Mylius-Erichsen?
- Mm.
Sometimes, it's best
not to think too much.
You knew him well though?
He was a dear friend.
A fine explorer.
But he never knew when to give up.
[Ejnar] We only found one body.
The Greenlander Brnlund.
The two others were lost in the ice.
[Iver] Imagine dying like that.
Alone in this place.
[sighs]
[Ejnar] His final words in the diary
and the map were all that survived.
You never think you can't make it.
You always believe there'll be a way.
[Iver] Hello, Bjrn.
Sorry we left you out.
Captain told us
we can't have you in if you make noise.
Okay?
Yeah.
[kissing noises]
[bubbling]
[Ejnar sighs]
Captain, I've just put that on.
Well, let me show you something.
Inuit magic.
In Alaska, they do this
in these conditions to go fast.
[spits]
You see?
Just a thin layer of ice.
[panting]
Come on, guys!
Woo-hoo!
[laughs]
- Iversen!
- Yeah?
- See the cirrus clouds up in the north?
- No, Captain.
I see only sunshine!
Iversen!
The dogs are smelling land! Slow down!
Whoa!
Iversen, stop!
[yelps]
Stop!
Stop! Stop!
[dogs yelp]
[breathing heavily]
[dogs whimper]
Whoa!
Careful.
[Ejnar] Okay.
- You're gonna climb down.
- Okay.
Oh, shit.
I can see him! It's Bjrn.
[whimpers]
[Ejnar] Just get the rope.
Okay.
[Iver] I'll get him.
[yells, grunts]
[Bjrn whimpers]
You all right?
Get up! We'll pull the sledge up.
Just leave the dog!
I'll get him! Wait!
[Bjrn barks]
[whimpering]
- [howls]
- No!
No! No!
[footsteps approach]
By my calculations
I've lost us two weeks' worth of dog food,
I've lost us half our tea
and one can of paraffin.
[Ejnar] Hm.
- And Bjrn, Captain.
- It's just a dog, Iversen.
Bringing you with me was always a risk,
but I judged your Navy background would
arm you with the necessary discipline
to follow orders.
Sorry, Captain.
[sighs] Well, at least tomorrow,
we'll be off the ice cap.
[wind gusts]
[driving shouts]
Come on!Come on!
[Ejnar] Hup, hup, hup!
Here.
Hey!
Come on! Now!
Come on!
Come on!
That's it.
Captain,
can I ask you a personal question?
[Ejnar] Go on.
Why do you do this?
Keep doing this,
out here, in places like this?
Pretty much alone,
risking your life.
Don't you have...
Don't you have someone special
at home waiting for you?
What we do...
you have to travel light.
You can't have your mind
some 2,000 miles away.
So, why do you do this?
Why does anyone do anything?
Why are you a mechanic?
[chuckles]
It's all I was good at, fixing engines.
Exactly.
What did they tell you
back when you joined us in Reykjavik?
Well, I know it's to do with the Americans
and their claim of some land.
But, to be honest, Captain,
I was just excited
to go on a trip to Greenland with you
and join a real expedition.
We're talking unknown land, Iversen.
And the Americans claim
that the top of Greenland is
separated by a channel
from the rest of the country,
but no one's proved it yet.
It's important work.
I see.
Might even make you famous, Iversen.
[match strikes]
Me, famous? I doubt the ladies
would be queuing up for me.
Well, don't get ahead of yourself.
First, we have to find the bloody thing.
[pencil scratching]
[Iver] Oh.
What's your name?
What's that?
Found them on the ship.
[chuckles]
- [Ejnar] Hm.
- Yes.
You forget, don't you?
- [Iver] She's sweet looking.
- Hm.
[Iver] Kind and thoughtful.
- I call her Miss Affection.
- You named her?
Yeah.
- Miss Affection.
- What sort of name is that?
- [Ejnar] What about this one?
- The small, smiley one?
That's Little Miss Sunbeam.
[laughs]
- She'd laugh at my jokes.
- She'd laugh at the stupid name.
Is there one
that catches your eye, Captain?
Uh...
[Ejnar] I rather like this one.
Has she got a name?
Not yet.
[Ejnar] I'm going to call her Naja.
Yeah. That's Naja.
[Iver] Well, then.
Unless any man here
should know of any impediment,
you and Naja shall be together
from this day on.
Amen.
[birds chirp]
[Ejnar] Hup, hup, hup! Hike!
Come on!
[grunts]
[breathing heavily]
- You got it?
- I've got it.
[Ejnar] That's it.That's it.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
[whines]
[wind howls]
[sighs]
[metallic clicking]
[Ejnar] Come on.
Anything?
Nothing.
No life here. I didn't even see a bird.
No food for the dogs.
- What have you done to this?
- What?
This.
- I've not done anything.
- You must've done something.
It's not working anymore.
Are you a complete idiot?
- We're fucked without this.
- Captain, I...
Just fix it. Fix it.
[groans]
[blows]
Without the Primus,
we're as good as dead, understand?
- You do understand that?
- Can you pass the kettle, Captain?
[flame crackles]
- [gunshot]
- [whimpering]
We'll have to go half ration from now on.
Now repack your sledge.
Come on, Iversen!
Whoa! Whoa!
Whoa.
[pants]
[hammering]
Now, we have a slight course correction
we need to make.
- Captain.
- Yes, Iversen?
Well, speak up, man.
Well, we have no supplies.
Is there a point where perhaps we...
Where we what?
- Accept that...
- Accept defeat, Iversen?
Do you wanna give up?
It's too tough?
Missing home?
No, Captain. That's...
We have a map. We will find it.
We won't find it
by standing around talking.
Yes, but...
And we will be back
on the Alabama by August.
We're going down to one sledge.
Iversen.
- Mm?
- Iversen, look.
What?
That's a cairn.
[Iver] I think you're right!
Captain, they were here.
They were here, Captain!
This is a camp.
[sniffs]
Pemmican.
- And oxtail soup, look.
- Wait.
"August 8th, 1907."
"Being without food
for ourselves and our dogs,
we must leave this place and try to make
our way to coastal areas with game,
enough to sledge
the 580 miles back to the ship."
They had no food, Captain,
but they left this.
"We discovered
and leave a proof in this cairn
that Peary Channel does not exist."
"Navy Cliff is joined by land
to Heilprin Land,
therefore our work is almost done."
"We hope to reach the ship before the end
of September, with or without dogs."
"Lieutenant Mylius-Erichsen,
leader of Denmark Expedition
to Northeast Greenland."
Robert Peary and the Americans were wrong.
This is it.
This is it.
This is why we came.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
[chuckles]
- Beautiful.
- [laughs]
I don't really understand
why what we found is so important,
but seeing you smile, Captain,
seeing you laugh...
Greenland is one.
The USA has no claim here.
Denmark will thank you
one day, Iver Iversen.
It's time to celebrate.
Now you put that soup on.
[Ejnar] Mm.
[sighs]
We can go home now, Iversen.
[chuckles]
Like walking from Rome to Moscow
looking for a stack of stones.
[laughs]
What was that?
That's what the guys were saying
on the ship.
Well, you can put them straight now.
Home, to Alabama.
And then home sweet home.
- [dog barks]
- [grunts]
[Iver grunts]
[bone cracks]
[grunts]
[pants]
Do you think we could eat the liver?
The rest is skin and bone.
Wouldn't that be poisonous?
Because it died of exhaustion?
Oh, we shouldn't risk it.
But what's that thing
about a silver spoon
in a pot with anything poisonous?
Changes color.
Exactly.
Shame we don't have any silver.
You have silver?
That I do.
What?
What is it?
You said you didn't have anyone back home.
You traveled light.
It was a present.
All right, let's do it.
[flame crackles]
[Iver] What should it be?
- I don't remember.
- No, I don't remember either.
Should it go green?
If it's poisonous?
Yeah. I think so.
Sounds about right.
- That's... not green.
- That's more brown than green.
It's definitely not green.
[Iver groans, coughs]
[Iver retches]
[Iver spits]
[Ejnar gags]
[wind gusts]
[Ejnar exhales]
[panting]
[Ejnar exhales]
[wind gusts]
[seal barks]
[dogs bark]
[howling]
Shit!
[breathing heavily]
[dogs snarling]
[shouts] Bloody dogs!
[gunshot]
[gunshot]
[dog barks]
[Ejnar yells, grunts]
[bear grunts]
- Shit.
- [gun cocks]
[Ejnar grunts, coughs]
[bear snarls]
[Ejnar grunts]
- [gunshot]
- [Ejnar pants]
[breathing heavily]
[growls]
[Ejnar yells]
[wheezing]
[snarls]
[gun fires]
[Ejnar grunts]
[Ejnar struggling]
[grunting]
[straining]
[grunts]
[gasping for air]
Captain!
Give me your hand!
[coughs]
[gasping]
You're okay.You're okay!
I've got it.
[heavy breathing]
[Iver] It's okay.
I can't believe
this was the only thing that got torn.
Right.
That should do it.
Warm enough, Captain?
Losing two dogs like that.
[whimpers]
That was our chance.
- What?
- The bear.
Just like us.
Hungry for meat.
I miss them.
Who?
Women.
Me too.
[chuckles] Not like that.
Their company, female company.
[sighs] They're different, aren't they?
Their voices, their smell.
I do miss their laughter.
I remember when I was 16,
about to join the Navy,
my grandfather asked
if I'd go with him to Copenhagen Harbor.
I thought we were going to look at ships,
so I went along,
even packing a lunch for the two of us,
buthe had other plans.
He wanted to make sure
I was ready to set sail
and, in his words, "be a man."
So he took me to the red-light district
to introduce me to women,
make sure I wasn't embarrassed
on my travels.
[chuckles] I just went along with it.
Ended up with this older woman.
I must admit,
she did expand my knowledge greatly.
[chuckles]
When I was 16,
my dad took me to the hospital,
to the venereal-disease ward,
to show me the dire consequences
of such behavior.
It was fucking disgusting.
[chuckles softly]
[dog whimpers]
[grunts]
[groans]
[flames roaring]
- [clattering]
- [Ejnar grunts]
Captain?
- [grunts]
- What are you doing?
Captain. Captain, stop. Stop!
What are you doing? Stop.
What are you doing?
We have to travel light
if we're gonna make it.
We'll leave everything
that's not absolutely vital.
There's another 200 miles to the ship.
[panting]
[sighs wearily]
We need to cross here.
What?
- Why can't we go around?
- We won't have time.
We need to build a cairn.
You don't think we can make it, do you?
If we don't, we lose everything.
[Ejnar] At least if the proof
and our journals are kept here in a cairn,
they can be found.
Good.
Iversen.
We can do this.
This is what happened
to Mylius-Erichsen, isn't it?
Let's go.
[groans]
[Ejnar] What is it?
[wearily] Nothing.
I just need to lie down for a second.
- Get up. Come on.
- [groans]
[breathless] Come on. Get up.
- [Iver grunts]
- Get up.
[Iver groans]
[panting]
[exclaims]
Look.
[wearily] That's the Alabama!
- We're back!
- We're back!
We're back!
The wayfarers are back!
[Iver] Sound the bell!
- [Ejnar laughs]
- Sound the bell!
[panting]
- It's on land.
- What?
The mast, it's on land.
But where's my ship?
I don't know.
They've built a hut
with parts of the ship.
Hello?
Hello?
- Hello?
- Hello?
[Iver sobs]
No, they've left us! They've left us!
No! No!
[desperately] No, no!
You just left?
We had no choice, sir.
The Alabama was wrecked,
crushed by the ice.
We had to leave when we had the chance.
We left enough food
to last at least a year.
- [official] Let's pray they make it back.
- They want more than prayers.
You're asking the government to fund
another rescue attempt. Is that correct?
Lieutenant Laub, it's not your first visit
to the Arctic, is it?
No, sir. It was my fourth.
And Lieutenant Jrgensen?
My fourth also.
And who is this man, Iver Iversen?
Our mechanic, sir.
His name is not on the original crew list.
[official] No.
He joined Alabama in Reykjavik.
Mm-hm.
And how come a mechanic
is chosen to accompany Mikkelsen
on the second sled journey?
- [minister] Hm?
- He volunteered.
Volunteered. Hm...
Did he have any experience
as an Arctic explorer?
No, sir.
This was his first time in the Arctic.
So, three dead men the first time around
and now two more on the rescue attempt.
Sir, there's no proof that they're...
[scoffs] Proof!
Nobody brings home any proof.
Now, you two both knew
that the chances of success were minimal.
Even less so
when you allow an inexperienced greenhorn
to volunteer for an early death.
I can't possibly justify more expense
on another fruitless mission.
Minister, nobody wants
to waste government funds.
Sir!
We were rescued by a whaler.
Perhaps if we can put up a reward.
Thank you, Lieutenant.
[wind gusts]
[Ejnar] It's gonna be fine.
Is it?
A ship will come.
- I can't believe they left us.
- Exactly.
How did they leave us?
They got picked up by a passing ship.
The same will happen to us.
If it doesn't?
It will.
[Iver] They think we're dead.
[Ejnar] No one thinks we're dead.
Late summer next year,
a ship will come.
[rain patters]
Do you have the postcard?
Imagine if they could see us now.
[sighs]
Probably best they can't.
[chuckles softly]
What would you do if a girl
suddenly came walking towards us
from across the ice?
[scoffs] Well, that's not gonna happen.
No, but if it did?
[sighs]
But how?
I don't know.
Maybe a hot-air balloon.
Like Salomon Andre.
- Is that the guy that went missing?
- Yeah. I met him once.
I was 15.
I walked all the way
from Copenhagen to Gothenburg to see him.
He was gonna fly his hot-air balloon
to the North Pole.
I wanted to join his expedition.
- At 15?
- Mm.
[sarcastic] Bet he was thrilled
to meet a 15-year-old you!
He explained to me that I was too young,
but then he paid for me
to catch the train back to Copenhagen.
I guess, in a way,
he saved my life.
[grunts]
- [Iver] Look what I found.
- Hm!
- [Iver] Broken though.
- Too bad.
[Iver] I see.
["E Lucevan Le Stelle"
by Enrico Caruso playing]
[Ejnar chuckles]
There you go.
[music fades]
[wind gusts]
[tapping]
- [stones scrape]
- [snorts]
[gasps]
[wind whistles]
[sighs]
Iver.
[groggily] Yeah?
We need to go back.
To the cairn.
To get the journals and the proof.
If a bear finds it...
- We should never have left it.
- Right now?
We need to get back here
for when the sea opens up again.
[groans]
Really?
- Captain.
- Yes?
- Do you think we should leave a note?
- No, Iver.
As I told you,
we'll be back before the ice breaks.
Yeah, but it's 200 miles there
and 200 miles back.
For the love of God,
can we just get going?
[grunts]
Suppose it's true.
It's not true.
Well, suppose it is.
It's not.
They say there's truth in every dream.
Well, I hope for your sake
there's no truth in my dreams.
I mean, I really couldn't go back.
Imagine arriving back in Copenhagen.
"Oh, you're back!"
"Well done. Where's your work?"
"Oh, sorry, sir. It got eaten by a bear."
[chuckles]
The shame of it.
[grunts]
No, no, no.
Oh, shit. Oh, no.
No, no, no!
[gasps]
[sighs]
[panting]
[wheezing chuckle]
[panting]
What do you think did this?
- [breathless] I don't...
- No?
I don't know.
A bear.
Yeah.
[chuckles]
They say there's truth
in every dream, Iversen.
They say there's truth in every dream.
[Ejnar laughs]
[sighs]
[grunts]
[Iver] See it?
Is it...
No, it can't be.
Is that it, Captain? Is that...
Is that the car...
from the Denmark Expedition?
It's a Crossley!
[Iver exclaims]
That's ridiculous.
Hm...
It is a Crossley.
- Watch that rock.
- Yeah.
[grunts]
[both panting]
[banging]
[creaking]
Captain.
- What?
- Captain, someone's here.
Hello?
[Ejnar] "July 23rd, 1911."
"Looking for...
Ejnar Mikkelsen."
"No sign."
"Joseph Motzfeldt."
[stifled yell]
"Bergen."
[sighs]
Could've been worse.
Go on, say it.
Say what?
I'm just saying it could've been worse.
Could've been worse.
What could've been worse?
I'm just saying...
- If we'd...
- Don't be clever, Iver.
I know what you want to say.
Yes, we should've left a fucking note!
[door slams]
[Ejnar yells]
[shouts in frustration]
[Ejnar grunts]
[yells]
[wind gusts]
[Jrgensen] Minister, when the sailor
found the hut, it was boarded up.
We never left it like that.
Someone's been there.
Yes, the hut.
Hm.
Do you mind if we walk and talk?
Not at all.
- I know you're a very busy man.
- Busy?
[chuckles]
Thank you. The whole nation
seems to be rattling a begging bowl.
Then there's this Greenland issue
where we have to convince our own people
that it's financially viable
to maintain these wretched colonies,
which it's not, of course,
whilst trying to persuade
the rest of the world
that we still have
some semblance of control.
Are you in pain?
I'll survive.
Good, good.
Anyway, this Mikkelsen rescue business.
We appreciate and understand
the importance of the work he undertook,
of course.
[chuckles] The Americans,
they're desperate.
Sticking their little flags
in the ice all over the place
and this bloody Peary chap
claiming the North Pole.
We can't have that. It's ridiculous.
I'm confident that the captain
secured the evidence.
But you don't know that, do you?
Nor do you know where in this vast country
we should send a rescue mission.
- I know this is difficult for you to bear.
- They won't survive another year.
If we don't get a ship there
before the ice freezes next summer,
not only do we give up on them,
but we also give up on Greenland.
[clears throat]
We have already offered
a very generous reward.
More than that, I cannot do.
Now, I'm sorry, Lieutenant.
Time is up.
["God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" playing]
God rest ye merry gentlemen...
- But would you, Captain?
- Honestly, Iver, I don't know.
[sighs] It's not like you.
What?
Not to know your mind.
Actually, can we just leave it?
It's a pretty
grim topic.
[sighs]
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
This is our first Christmas here,
in the hut?
Second.
Second?
Yeah, second in the hut.
Third in Greenland.
Oh.
["Silent Night" playing]
- Happy Christmas, Iver.
- Happy Christmas, Captain.
[Ejnar clears his throat]
I'll tell you something
that I know for certain.
It's that whilst you still
had your hands, I couldn't...
Or at the very least fingers.
I don't like talking about it
or thinking about it,
but for me, it's hands
that distinguish humans from animals.
It's with our hands we can do
all the things that animals can't do.
So if my hands were removed before I die?
No hands.
Yeah, then...
Yeah, I could quite happily eat you.
[clears throat]
Can I just say...
[hesitates]
So...
To hope.
Are you all right, Captain?
Mm.
[grunts]
Here! Here!
Hey!
Hey!
[panting]
[grunts]
[woman] It's okay.
Naja?
I just missed you so much.
Me too.
Captain, it's getting cold out here.
Come back inside.
You okay?
Captain, have you...
Oh, yeah.
Irritating little bastard.
[Naja] Was this worth it?
Is this what you wanted?
There's still time, isn't there?
For a ship?
Yeah.
For someone to come.
The ice isn't completely
impassable yet, is it?
I'm going to look anyway.
Water's just boiled.
[wind gusts]
[door closes]
I'm worried about him.
[Naja] He seems okay.
He seems okay.
We can all seem okay.
But inside...
he's not the same.
I think he's taken it hard.
I think he's blaming me
for missing the ship.
We need to keep an eye on him,
make sure things don't get too much.
[wind howls]
[footsteps approach]
Do you believe in ghosts, Captain?
Ghosts?
Like... dead people still here?
Don't be daft.
I met my grandfather earlier.
Your grandfather?
Here?
No. Just up on the hill.
Wh-what do you mean you met him?
You sensed him? You felt his presence?
[Iver] No.
I'm not sure.
I think he may have passed away
whilst we've been here.
[hesitates]
It doesn't necessarily mean he's dead.
No. Maybe not.
I'm sorry. I'm... I'm really sorry.
- I didn't mean to...
- [Iver] No.
- If there's anything I can, you know...
- I know.
You're always here.
[chuckles]
[Naja] What if you never come home?
You had everything.
- We were going to get married.
- I didn't have an option.
- I couldn't see another way.
- Someone else could do this. Why you?
No one else could have done this.
I don't know why it had to be me,
but it did. It was always going to be me.
What about Iver? Did he have a choice?
He volunteered. He knew the dangers.
You do know
that no one is coming to get you?
- I know.
- Don't you?
[sobs] I know.
I shouldn't have left you.
I'm sorry.
[sobs]
[wind gusts]
["Moonbeams" by Victor Herbert playing]
The day is done
- And the night comes on
- [Naja laughs]
And the birds have sought their nest
The stars are awakening one by one
The whispering breezes are still
The moon shining bright
With a radiant light
Is silvering valley and hill
Moonbeams shining soft above
Let me...
[Ejnar groans]
What is it?
Oh.
No, it's this. It's repulsive.
- Don't be silly. Let me see.
- No.
Get out.Get out!Get out!
Fate may part us...
Iver?
Iver!
Iver!
No.
I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
- Lance it for me.
- What?
Lance it for me.
- You're kidding?
- Please.
Inside.
[panting]
[Iver] Okay. All right.
[exhales]
- All right.
- Yeah.
- Don't move.
- Mm.
[grunting]
Just do it!
Okay.
[shakily] Three,
two,
one.
[squelching]
[yells]
[birds tweeting]
[Naja laughs]
[clanging]
[Iver sighs]
[clangs]
Yes!
Morning, Captain.
You've been asleep for hours.
I was dreaming.
I was home.
Hm! That's nice for you.
How's the, um, neck holding up?
[chuckles]
I had a dream too.
I almost feel guilty about it.
I know you picked her,
but I guess last night,
she decided to pick me,
if you know what I mean.
Did you see the tracks outside?
I'll go and have a look.
Might be a rabbit or something.
[door closes]
I don't want to know.
[Naja] It was just a dream.
I don't want to know.
I'm gonna kill him.
[clattering]
[Iver whistling]
[Ejnar] You took her!
You took her!You took her!
[grunting]
Captain.
Stop, stop. Stop!
- [Ejnar] She was mine!
- It's okay.
- Mine!
- It's okay.
[grunting]
[panting]
[door closes]
Captain, it's not real.
Calm down.
It's not real.
No, no, no!
- Captain, put it down.
- [Naja] Don't do this!
It isn't real.
- Calm down.
- [Naja] Don't do this. It's not real.
[Iver] It's not real.
- Don't do this!
- [Iver] Put the gun down.
- [Naja] Stop!
- It's not real!
- Put it down.
- Put it down!
- Put it down!
- [Naja] Ejnar, stop!
[Iver panting]
[softly] Just...
[Ejnar muttering]
[sobs]
[water pouring]
I'm sorry, Iver.
It never happened.
Okay?
How much food do we have left?
[Iver sighs]
Hardly any.
- Ammunition?
- We had two cartridges.
[muffled footsteps]
[banging]
[thumping]
[footsteps approach]
You see anything?
No.
[growls]
[bear snorts]
It's a bear!
Where's the rifle?
- It's in the storage hut!
- What?
[creaking]
Make noise. Make noise!
[Ejnar yells]
[yelling]
[whispers] You think it's gone?
I don't know.
[muffled footsteps]
Iver?
Iver?
- [softly] Iver. Iver.
- [grunts]
The bear. The bear!
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
One chance. One shot. Don't miss.
[heavy breathing]
One, two, three.
[war cries]
Okay. Hey.
[panting]
[man] Give me your weapon.
You're safe.
It's okay.
You're going home now.
[morse code beeping]
[Neergaard] What is the single
most important task for an explorer?
When you travel into unknown lands
to discover new parts of the globe,
it is to ensure the records
of your discoveries
are delivered back safe and sound,
with or without you.
Otherwise, it is all in vain.
The blood, sweat and tears
would all be for nothing.
Unlike the honorable members
of the Danish press,
we in the Danish government
never doubted for a second
that Captain Mikkelsen
would return home safe and sound.
We played our part in ensuring
the safe return of a Danish hero.
[applause]
So many people in there.
Mm.
You know that ship,
the Titanic?
Mm.
It only went and sunk.
- You wanted to work on that.
- [chuckles]
Lucky.
I've always been lucky, me.
No.
I'm the lucky one.
I wouldn't be standing here
if it wasn't for you.
[Neergaard] ...which leads me to read...
Thank you, Iver.
"Based on the findings brought back
by Captain Ejnar Mikkelsen,
the United States hereby acknowledge
that Peary Land is not an island,
but a part of Greenland."
[applause]
[Neergaard] "The United States
of America lay no claim..."
[Ejnar] Iver.
- Yeah?
- Is there a woman standing there?
Yes.
[applause]
Captain...
Captain.
[Iver] Captain.
[Iver clears throat]
- [Neergaard] It gives me great pleasure...
- Congratulations, gentlemen.
Thank you.
...to be the first person to welcome home
the men who made the impossible possible.
Um...
This is Iver.
Iver Iversen.
- It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss...
- Holm.
Naja Holm.
[applause]
It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Holm.
And you.
Captain Ejnar Mikkelsen
and Iver Iversen.
Go. They're waiting for you.
[chuckles] They have returned,
I promise you!
[audience laughs]
- Minister. Iver Iversen.
- Thank you, sir.
[audience cheers]
[applause continues]
GREENLAND
AS PER LATEST SOURCES 1905
[panting]
[heavy breathing]
[dogs barking]
[man 1] Something's out there!
Iver, follow them.
Go see what it is, quickly.
Hand me the lantern.
It's the captain!It's the captain!
Whoa.
Whoa!
[ragged breathing]
Sir, did you find anything?
- Help Jrgensen. His feet are frozen.
- [man 2] Right, come on.
[grunts]
- [man 3] Holm's on his way.
- [man 1] Quick, Unger. Get the water.
[man 2]Jrgensen, lift your head up.
- Unger, hurry up with the water.
- It's coming!
- [man 4] Raise it. Easy.
- [man 1] It's all right. We got you.
- We got you.
- [man 4] Take it easy, Jrgensen.
[man 2]Unger, the water.
- Come on!
- [Unger] It's coming.
[man 4] Hold these.
Take it easy, Jrgensen.
[Jrgensen breathing heavily]
- Do you have some whiskey?
- [man 1] Yes. Get the man a drink.
[Unger] Here.
Wait, wait.
[captain] I'll take that.
- [man 2]Ejnar, hold him down.
- [Jrgensen exhales]
[man 1] Jrgensen, breathe.
Keep breathing.
Let's do this.
[Jrgensen breathing heavily]
[Ejnar] Okay.
[Jrgensen grunts]
- [man 4] Hold him.
- [Ejnar] One, two, three.
- [bone cracks]
- [screams]
- ["Joy to the World" playing]
- [Unger humming]
All right.
- Thank you.
- Got it?
- [sighs]
- Good. Smells like Christmas.
One, two, three.
- Oh!
- [laughs]
- [Ungar] Who's hungry?
- Everybody.
[crew] Starving.
[Ungar] Here we go, boys.
- Looks great.
- Finally.
[man 1] You've done yourself proud,
sunshine.
- It's about time we found a use for you.
- [laughter]
[Ejnar] Gentlemen,
can I have your attention?
- Party's over.
- [man 2] Quiet, Poulsen.
- I want you all to raise your glasses...
- [crew] Of course.
[Ejnar] ...to...
to loved ones back home,
to the men who gave their lives
exploring the last unknown parts
of our kingdom.
To the Denmark Expedition.
And to you,
for joining me
in fulfilling their mission.
Skl.
Skl.
Halfway there.
[Ejnar] Ah!
Our long search
didn't go quite as planned.
- Jrgensen can testify to that.
- [quiet chuckles]
As expected,
it was hard to trace any signs
of the vanished expedition.
However,
we found this.
A diary from one of the men.
And a map
that apparently shows the location
of the cairn
where Mylius-Erichsen left
his final records of the unknown land.
What's a cairn?
A cairn's a stack of stones
you can see from far away.
So, therefore,
I'll attempt another journey.
[man 2] What?
[Poulsen] Another?
Well, this time further,
across the ice cap,
to retrieve the findings they left behind.
We're not going home then?
[sighs]
This is why we're here, boys.
Without these findings,
the North of Greenland could be lost,
claimed by the Americans.
Now, Jrgensen is incapacitated,
and I can't do it alone,
which provides one of you lucky boys
with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
I'll need a volunteer to accompany me.
[dogs barking]
Has anyone volunteered yet?
You're kidding, right?
Jrgensen's feet were wrecked.
[Poulsen] Aren't you next in line, Laub?
Shut up, Poulsen. Some of us have family.
Why don't any of you want to go with him?
You saw the map.
It's like walking from Moscow to Rome
looking for a stack of stones.
[Poulsen] Not to mention
doing it with the captain.
Iver knows him all right.
He knew all about him
before he came aboard, right?
I mean, I've read about him,
but everybody has, haven't they?
[scoffs] Not everyone's a fan,
Iver Iversen.
- Not everyone can read. Right, Unger?
- Try reading this!
[mocking cheers]
[laughter]
[Poulsen] Come on!
Captain.
Mm.
I was...
just wondering...
[hesitates]
I don't know
how many volunteers you've had already...
Well, that would be none.
[clears throat] What I'm trying to say is
technically, I'm out of a job.
Mm-hm.
As long as we're parked up here,
the motor won't be needed.
I'd like to come with you,
if you'd allow me.
I'm good with a rifle,
and I'm learning how to drive the dogs.
I'd really like to come, Captain.
I'll keep that in mind.
Thank you, Iversen.
Thank you, Captain.
[Laub] Poulsen, hand me those harnesses.
- What's Iversen up to?
- [Iver] Come on.
- Looks like he needs a hand.
- [Iver] Stay there.
Hey! Hey!
All of you stay here, okay?
[dogs yap]
[Iver] Okay.
Hey! Hey!
Hey, stop!
Stay there!
- You talk to him.
- [Iver] Hey!
Here, let me give you a hand.
Iversen, the dogs work for you.
Remember that.
Out on the ice,
each dog can pull
a hundred pounds of weight from the start.
Once that hundred pounds has been eaten,
well, that dog
becomes surplus to requirement.
So we shoot the worst dog,
feed it to the others.
So, Iversen, don't become best friends.
You've heard Iversen volunteered.
- [Laub] I have, sir.
- What are your thoughts on him?
- Iversen?
- Yeah.
Uh...
He's a good lad.
- Very brave.
- Mm.
Strong character.
Have you seen him with the dogs?
Clearly he needs
to work a bit harder to improve.
But you think he can do it?
I believe so, yes.
That's all.
[record playing]
[Unger] Don't be ridiculous.
Surely that's too heavy.
I'm telling you, it's unsinkable.
They've spent $1 million already.
It's got combination turbines
and reciprocating engines
guaranteed to maintain
a speed of 21 knots.
- Translation, anyone, please?
- [man 1] What are you talking about?
[Laub] Is the Alabama
not up to your standard?
Go on about thiswith the captain,
he'll put a bullet in your head.
Yeah, usually I'd say
Poulsen's talking shit,
but I've gotta agree,
I daren't say two words to him.
[chuckles] The captain's not that bad.
[crew laughs]
I have to say, Iver,
I think you've lost your mind.
What do you know about sledging,
surviving on the ice when it's 40 below?
Yeah, and polar bears
and all that other scary shit out there.
I think Iver has got quite the handle
on those dogs now.
It's not too late to change your mind.
This is my third trip up here
and I still hate those fucking dogs.
If they were any more inbred,
they'd be sandwiches.
- [laughter]
- No, come on.They're amazing.
Once you learn to trust your lead dog,
it kind of falls into place.
Mine's Bjrn.
He keeps the others in check.
He does all the work.
Ooh!
Check out Iver
and his new favorite dog, Bjrn!
[laughs]
[Jrgensen sighs]
I feel like I've let you down.
Ah.
You need to get yourself right.
Besides, Iversen's stepped up.
What?
He's a mechanic.
He wouldn't even be on this trip
if our engine hadn't failed in Reykjavik.
Just look after Alabama for me.
I've got to say this.
You're not a young man anymore.
You're risking your life, Iversen's life.
You want us to give up without trying?
We did try.
We did our best.
Nonsense.
What about Naja?
Do you expect her to wait for you?
- You've got nothing to prove.
- This is not about me.
The committee's instructions were clear.
The sea opens up by July.
If we're not back by August
before the sea freezes, then you go.
- You'll basically be on your own.
- That's an order.
Iversen is the best, if not the only, man
willing to make the trip.
I respect your concern,
but we are leaving tomorrow.
Yes, Captain.
[Laub] Iver, stand closer to the captain.
Yep, that's it.
Three, two, one.
[chuckles] Excellent.
[laughter]
[Laub] Thanks for that.
- Good luck.
- [Iver] Thank you.
Thank you.
I'll see you in August.
Take care, lads!
- [Poulsen] You too, Captain.
- [Unger] All the best.
Good luck.
Thank you, Jrgensen. Thank you.
[dogs barking]
[shouts] Hup!
Good luck, Captain.
[Iver] Go on, boys!
[Laub] Good luck, Iver!
He's going to need it.
[Iver geeing up dogs]
Iversen!
Get behind.
Whoa!
Whoa!
[laughs]
Go on, Bjrn!
Go on, boys!
Oh, my God.
- Are we gonna try and get up there?
- Well, there's always a way up.
It's just finding the quickest route.
I bet there's a quick way down too.
Mm, which is why I need you
to concentrate at all times.
We need to get up to get across.
[grunts]
[straining]
[grunting]
Come on.
One, two, three, pull.
One, two, three.
- [grunting]
- [heavy breathing]
[Ejnar] Pull!
[breathless] That's it. That's it.
[panting]
It's like we've landed on the moon.
[pants]
How many cubic meters of ice
do you think this is?
Must be at least two million,
do you think?
I need you to watch where you're walking.
[sniffs, exhales]Iversen, let's unhook.
[wind howls]
[dogs yap]
[Iver] I'm reading this article you wrote
about the Denmark Expedition.
Mm.
[chuckles] Amazing, isn't it?
Now I'm here with you, reading your story.
Very interesting.
They had so much equipment, didn't they?
They even had an automobile.
Imagine that! Driving across the ice.
It's ridiculous.
What type do you think it was, Captain?
Crossley?
What horsepower was the engine?
Can you remember?
Was it four to eight perhaps?
[dog whimpers]
Captain.
Captain, that's my lead dog, Bjrn.
I think he'd like to come in the tent.
Would that be okay?
[blows]
Little wonder they got lost out here.
Right.
[Iver] All alone
All alone
All alone
On the ice
All alone
All alone
All alone
On the ice
No one around
No one in sight
Just me and Ejnar
[calls to dogs]
On the ice
[wind gusts]
[dogs panting]
[wind howls]
[barking]
Captain, I wanted to ask,
what do you think really happened
to the Denmark Expedition?
- To Mylius-Erichsen?
- Mm.
Sometimes, it's best
not to think too much.
You knew him well though?
He was a dear friend.
A fine explorer.
But he never knew when to give up.
[Ejnar] We only found one body.
The Greenlander Brnlund.
The two others were lost in the ice.
[Iver] Imagine dying like that.
Alone in this place.
[sighs]
[Ejnar] His final words in the diary
and the map were all that survived.
You never think you can't make it.
You always believe there'll be a way.
[Iver] Hello, Bjrn.
Sorry we left you out.
Captain told us
we can't have you in if you make noise.
Okay?
Yeah.
[kissing noises]
[bubbling]
[Ejnar sighs]
Captain, I've just put that on.
Well, let me show you something.
Inuit magic.
In Alaska, they do this
in these conditions to go fast.
[spits]
You see?
Just a thin layer of ice.
[panting]
Come on, guys!
Woo-hoo!
[laughs]
- Iversen!
- Yeah?
- See the cirrus clouds up in the north?
- No, Captain.
I see only sunshine!
Iversen!
The dogs are smelling land! Slow down!
Whoa!
Iversen, stop!
[yelps]
Stop!
Stop! Stop!
[dogs yelp]
[breathing heavily]
[dogs whimper]
Whoa!
Careful.
[Ejnar] Okay.
- You're gonna climb down.
- Okay.
Oh, shit.
I can see him! It's Bjrn.
[whimpers]
[Ejnar] Just get the rope.
Okay.
[Iver] I'll get him.
[yells, grunts]
[Bjrn whimpers]
You all right?
Get up! We'll pull the sledge up.
Just leave the dog!
I'll get him! Wait!
[Bjrn barks]
[whimpering]
- [howls]
- No!
No! No!
[footsteps approach]
By my calculations
I've lost us two weeks' worth of dog food,
I've lost us half our tea
and one can of paraffin.
[Ejnar] Hm.
- And Bjrn, Captain.
- It's just a dog, Iversen.
Bringing you with me was always a risk,
but I judged your Navy background would
arm you with the necessary discipline
to follow orders.
Sorry, Captain.
[sighs] Well, at least tomorrow,
we'll be off the ice cap.
[wind gusts]
[driving shouts]
Come on!Come on!
[Ejnar] Hup, hup, hup!
Here.
Hey!
Come on! Now!
Come on!
Come on!
That's it.
Captain,
can I ask you a personal question?
[Ejnar] Go on.
Why do you do this?
Keep doing this,
out here, in places like this?
Pretty much alone,
risking your life.
Don't you have...
Don't you have someone special
at home waiting for you?
What we do...
you have to travel light.
You can't have your mind
some 2,000 miles away.
So, why do you do this?
Why does anyone do anything?
Why are you a mechanic?
[chuckles]
It's all I was good at, fixing engines.
Exactly.
What did they tell you
back when you joined us in Reykjavik?
Well, I know it's to do with the Americans
and their claim of some land.
But, to be honest, Captain,
I was just excited
to go on a trip to Greenland with you
and join a real expedition.
We're talking unknown land, Iversen.
And the Americans claim
that the top of Greenland is
separated by a channel
from the rest of the country,
but no one's proved it yet.
It's important work.
I see.
Might even make you famous, Iversen.
[match strikes]
Me, famous? I doubt the ladies
would be queuing up for me.
Well, don't get ahead of yourself.
First, we have to find the bloody thing.
[pencil scratching]
[Iver] Oh.
What's your name?
What's that?
Found them on the ship.
[chuckles]
- [Ejnar] Hm.
- Yes.
You forget, don't you?
- [Iver] She's sweet looking.
- Hm.
[Iver] Kind and thoughtful.
- I call her Miss Affection.
- You named her?
Yeah.
- Miss Affection.
- What sort of name is that?
- [Ejnar] What about this one?
- The small, smiley one?
That's Little Miss Sunbeam.
[laughs]
- She'd laugh at my jokes.
- She'd laugh at the stupid name.
Is there one
that catches your eye, Captain?
Uh...
[Ejnar] I rather like this one.
Has she got a name?
Not yet.
[Ejnar] I'm going to call her Naja.
Yeah. That's Naja.
[Iver] Well, then.
Unless any man here
should know of any impediment,
you and Naja shall be together
from this day on.
Amen.
[birds chirp]
[Ejnar] Hup, hup, hup! Hike!
Come on!
[grunts]
[breathing heavily]
- You got it?
- I've got it.
[Ejnar] That's it.That's it.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
[whines]
[wind howls]
[sighs]
[metallic clicking]
[Ejnar] Come on.
Anything?
Nothing.
No life here. I didn't even see a bird.
No food for the dogs.
- What have you done to this?
- What?
This.
- I've not done anything.
- You must've done something.
It's not working anymore.
Are you a complete idiot?
- We're fucked without this.
- Captain, I...
Just fix it. Fix it.
[groans]
[blows]
Without the Primus,
we're as good as dead, understand?
- You do understand that?
- Can you pass the kettle, Captain?
[flame crackles]
- [gunshot]
- [whimpering]
We'll have to go half ration from now on.
Now repack your sledge.
Come on, Iversen!
Whoa! Whoa!
Whoa.
[pants]
[hammering]
Now, we have a slight course correction
we need to make.
- Captain.
- Yes, Iversen?
Well, speak up, man.
Well, we have no supplies.
Is there a point where perhaps we...
Where we what?
- Accept that...
- Accept defeat, Iversen?
Do you wanna give up?
It's too tough?
Missing home?
No, Captain. That's...
We have a map. We will find it.
We won't find it
by standing around talking.
Yes, but...
And we will be back
on the Alabama by August.
We're going down to one sledge.
Iversen.
- Mm?
- Iversen, look.
What?
That's a cairn.
[Iver] I think you're right!
Captain, they were here.
They were here, Captain!
This is a camp.
[sniffs]
Pemmican.
- And oxtail soup, look.
- Wait.
"August 8th, 1907."
"Being without food
for ourselves and our dogs,
we must leave this place and try to make
our way to coastal areas with game,
enough to sledge
the 580 miles back to the ship."
They had no food, Captain,
but they left this.
"We discovered
and leave a proof in this cairn
that Peary Channel does not exist."
"Navy Cliff is joined by land
to Heilprin Land,
therefore our work is almost done."
"We hope to reach the ship before the end
of September, with or without dogs."
"Lieutenant Mylius-Erichsen,
leader of Denmark Expedition
to Northeast Greenland."
Robert Peary and the Americans were wrong.
This is it.
This is it.
This is why we came.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
[chuckles]
- Beautiful.
- [laughs]
I don't really understand
why what we found is so important,
but seeing you smile, Captain,
seeing you laugh...
Greenland is one.
The USA has no claim here.
Denmark will thank you
one day, Iver Iversen.
It's time to celebrate.
Now you put that soup on.
[Ejnar] Mm.
[sighs]
We can go home now, Iversen.
[chuckles]
Like walking from Rome to Moscow
looking for a stack of stones.
[laughs]
What was that?
That's what the guys were saying
on the ship.
Well, you can put them straight now.
Home, to Alabama.
And then home sweet home.
- [dog barks]
- [grunts]
[Iver grunts]
[bone cracks]
[grunts]
[pants]
Do you think we could eat the liver?
The rest is skin and bone.
Wouldn't that be poisonous?
Because it died of exhaustion?
Oh, we shouldn't risk it.
But what's that thing
about a silver spoon
in a pot with anything poisonous?
Changes color.
Exactly.
Shame we don't have any silver.
You have silver?
That I do.
What?
What is it?
You said you didn't have anyone back home.
You traveled light.
It was a present.
All right, let's do it.
[flame crackles]
[Iver] What should it be?
- I don't remember.
- No, I don't remember either.
Should it go green?
If it's poisonous?
Yeah. I think so.
Sounds about right.
- That's... not green.
- That's more brown than green.
It's definitely not green.
[Iver groans, coughs]
[Iver retches]
[Iver spits]
[Ejnar gags]
[wind gusts]
[Ejnar exhales]
[panting]
[Ejnar exhales]
[wind gusts]
[seal barks]
[dogs bark]
[howling]
Shit!
[breathing heavily]
[dogs snarling]
[shouts] Bloody dogs!
[gunshot]
[gunshot]
[dog barks]
[Ejnar yells, grunts]
[bear grunts]
- Shit.
- [gun cocks]
[Ejnar grunts, coughs]
[bear snarls]
[Ejnar grunts]
- [gunshot]
- [Ejnar pants]
[breathing heavily]
[growls]
[Ejnar yells]
[wheezing]
[snarls]
[gun fires]
[Ejnar grunts]
[Ejnar struggling]
[grunting]
[straining]
[grunts]
[gasping for air]
Captain!
Give me your hand!
[coughs]
[gasping]
You're okay.You're okay!
I've got it.
[heavy breathing]
[Iver] It's okay.
I can't believe
this was the only thing that got torn.
Right.
That should do it.
Warm enough, Captain?
Losing two dogs like that.
[whimpers]
That was our chance.
- What?
- The bear.
Just like us.
Hungry for meat.
I miss them.
Who?
Women.
Me too.
[chuckles] Not like that.
Their company, female company.
[sighs] They're different, aren't they?
Their voices, their smell.
I do miss their laughter.
I remember when I was 16,
about to join the Navy,
my grandfather asked
if I'd go with him to Copenhagen Harbor.
I thought we were going to look at ships,
so I went along,
even packing a lunch for the two of us,
buthe had other plans.
He wanted to make sure
I was ready to set sail
and, in his words, "be a man."
So he took me to the red-light district
to introduce me to women,
make sure I wasn't embarrassed
on my travels.
[chuckles] I just went along with it.
Ended up with this older woman.
I must admit,
she did expand my knowledge greatly.
[chuckles]
When I was 16,
my dad took me to the hospital,
to the venereal-disease ward,
to show me the dire consequences
of such behavior.
It was fucking disgusting.
[chuckles softly]
[dog whimpers]
[grunts]
[groans]
[flames roaring]
- [clattering]
- [Ejnar grunts]
Captain?
- [grunts]
- What are you doing?
Captain. Captain, stop. Stop!
What are you doing? Stop.
What are you doing?
We have to travel light
if we're gonna make it.
We'll leave everything
that's not absolutely vital.
There's another 200 miles to the ship.
[panting]
[sighs wearily]
We need to cross here.
What?
- Why can't we go around?
- We won't have time.
We need to build a cairn.
You don't think we can make it, do you?
If we don't, we lose everything.
[Ejnar] At least if the proof
and our journals are kept here in a cairn,
they can be found.
Good.
Iversen.
We can do this.
This is what happened
to Mylius-Erichsen, isn't it?
Let's go.
[groans]
[Ejnar] What is it?
[wearily] Nothing.
I just need to lie down for a second.
- Get up. Come on.
- [groans]
[breathless] Come on. Get up.
- [Iver grunts]
- Get up.
[Iver groans]
[panting]
[exclaims]
Look.
[wearily] That's the Alabama!
- We're back!
- We're back!
We're back!
The wayfarers are back!
[Iver] Sound the bell!
- [Ejnar laughs]
- Sound the bell!
[panting]
- It's on land.
- What?
The mast, it's on land.
But where's my ship?
I don't know.
They've built a hut
with parts of the ship.
Hello?
Hello?
- Hello?
- Hello?
[Iver sobs]
No, they've left us! They've left us!
No! No!
[desperately] No, no!
You just left?
We had no choice, sir.
The Alabama was wrecked,
crushed by the ice.
We had to leave when we had the chance.
We left enough food
to last at least a year.
- [official] Let's pray they make it back.
- They want more than prayers.
You're asking the government to fund
another rescue attempt. Is that correct?
Lieutenant Laub, it's not your first visit
to the Arctic, is it?
No, sir. It was my fourth.
And Lieutenant Jrgensen?
My fourth also.
And who is this man, Iver Iversen?
Our mechanic, sir.
His name is not on the original crew list.
[official] No.
He joined Alabama in Reykjavik.
Mm-hm.
And how come a mechanic
is chosen to accompany Mikkelsen
on the second sled journey?
- [minister] Hm?
- He volunteered.
Volunteered. Hm...
Did he have any experience
as an Arctic explorer?
No, sir.
This was his first time in the Arctic.
So, three dead men the first time around
and now two more on the rescue attempt.
Sir, there's no proof that they're...
[scoffs] Proof!
Nobody brings home any proof.
Now, you two both knew
that the chances of success were minimal.
Even less so
when you allow an inexperienced greenhorn
to volunteer for an early death.
I can't possibly justify more expense
on another fruitless mission.
Minister, nobody wants
to waste government funds.
Sir!
We were rescued by a whaler.
Perhaps if we can put up a reward.
Thank you, Lieutenant.
[wind gusts]
[Ejnar] It's gonna be fine.
Is it?
A ship will come.
- I can't believe they left us.
- Exactly.
How did they leave us?
They got picked up by a passing ship.
The same will happen to us.
If it doesn't?
It will.
[Iver] They think we're dead.
[Ejnar] No one thinks we're dead.
Late summer next year,
a ship will come.
[rain patters]
Do you have the postcard?
Imagine if they could see us now.
[sighs]
Probably best they can't.
[chuckles softly]
What would you do if a girl
suddenly came walking towards us
from across the ice?
[scoffs] Well, that's not gonna happen.
No, but if it did?
[sighs]
But how?
I don't know.
Maybe a hot-air balloon.
Like Salomon Andre.
- Is that the guy that went missing?
- Yeah. I met him once.
I was 15.
I walked all the way
from Copenhagen to Gothenburg to see him.
He was gonna fly his hot-air balloon
to the North Pole.
I wanted to join his expedition.
- At 15?
- Mm.
[sarcastic] Bet he was thrilled
to meet a 15-year-old you!
He explained to me that I was too young,
but then he paid for me
to catch the train back to Copenhagen.
I guess, in a way,
he saved my life.
[grunts]
- [Iver] Look what I found.
- Hm!
- [Iver] Broken though.
- Too bad.
[Iver] I see.
["E Lucevan Le Stelle"
by Enrico Caruso playing]
[Ejnar chuckles]
There you go.
[music fades]
[wind gusts]
[tapping]
- [stones scrape]
- [snorts]
[gasps]
[wind whistles]
[sighs]
Iver.
[groggily] Yeah?
We need to go back.
To the cairn.
To get the journals and the proof.
If a bear finds it...
- We should never have left it.
- Right now?
We need to get back here
for when the sea opens up again.
[groans]
Really?
- Captain.
- Yes?
- Do you think we should leave a note?
- No, Iver.
As I told you,
we'll be back before the ice breaks.
Yeah, but it's 200 miles there
and 200 miles back.
For the love of God,
can we just get going?
[grunts]
Suppose it's true.
It's not true.
Well, suppose it is.
It's not.
They say there's truth in every dream.
Well, I hope for your sake
there's no truth in my dreams.
I mean, I really couldn't go back.
Imagine arriving back in Copenhagen.
"Oh, you're back!"
"Well done. Where's your work?"
"Oh, sorry, sir. It got eaten by a bear."
[chuckles]
The shame of it.
[grunts]
No, no, no.
Oh, shit. Oh, no.
No, no, no!
[gasps]
[sighs]
[panting]
[wheezing chuckle]
[panting]
What do you think did this?
- [breathless] I don't...
- No?
I don't know.
A bear.
Yeah.
[chuckles]
They say there's truth
in every dream, Iversen.
They say there's truth in every dream.
[Ejnar laughs]
[sighs]
[grunts]
[Iver] See it?
Is it...
No, it can't be.
Is that it, Captain? Is that...
Is that the car...
from the Denmark Expedition?
It's a Crossley!
[Iver exclaims]
That's ridiculous.
Hm...
It is a Crossley.
- Watch that rock.
- Yeah.
[grunts]
[both panting]
[banging]
[creaking]
Captain.
- What?
- Captain, someone's here.
Hello?
[Ejnar] "July 23rd, 1911."
"Looking for...
Ejnar Mikkelsen."
"No sign."
"Joseph Motzfeldt."
[stifled yell]
"Bergen."
[sighs]
Could've been worse.
Go on, say it.
Say what?
I'm just saying it could've been worse.
Could've been worse.
What could've been worse?
I'm just saying...
- If we'd...
- Don't be clever, Iver.
I know what you want to say.
Yes, we should've left a fucking note!
[door slams]
[Ejnar yells]
[shouts in frustration]
[Ejnar grunts]
[yells]
[wind gusts]
[Jrgensen] Minister, when the sailor
found the hut, it was boarded up.
We never left it like that.
Someone's been there.
Yes, the hut.
Hm.
Do you mind if we walk and talk?
Not at all.
- I know you're a very busy man.
- Busy?
[chuckles]
Thank you. The whole nation
seems to be rattling a begging bowl.
Then there's this Greenland issue
where we have to convince our own people
that it's financially viable
to maintain these wretched colonies,
which it's not, of course,
whilst trying to persuade
the rest of the world
that we still have
some semblance of control.
Are you in pain?
I'll survive.
Good, good.
Anyway, this Mikkelsen rescue business.
We appreciate and understand
the importance of the work he undertook,
of course.
[chuckles] The Americans,
they're desperate.
Sticking their little flags
in the ice all over the place
and this bloody Peary chap
claiming the North Pole.
We can't have that. It's ridiculous.
I'm confident that the captain
secured the evidence.
But you don't know that, do you?
Nor do you know where in this vast country
we should send a rescue mission.
- I know this is difficult for you to bear.
- They won't survive another year.
If we don't get a ship there
before the ice freezes next summer,
not only do we give up on them,
but we also give up on Greenland.
[clears throat]
We have already offered
a very generous reward.
More than that, I cannot do.
Now, I'm sorry, Lieutenant.
Time is up.
["God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" playing]
God rest ye merry gentlemen...
- But would you, Captain?
- Honestly, Iver, I don't know.
[sighs] It's not like you.
What?
Not to know your mind.
Actually, can we just leave it?
It's a pretty
grim topic.
[sighs]
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
This is our first Christmas here,
in the hut?
Second.
Second?
Yeah, second in the hut.
Third in Greenland.
Oh.
["Silent Night" playing]
- Happy Christmas, Iver.
- Happy Christmas, Captain.
[Ejnar clears his throat]
I'll tell you something
that I know for certain.
It's that whilst you still
had your hands, I couldn't...
Or at the very least fingers.
I don't like talking about it
or thinking about it,
but for me, it's hands
that distinguish humans from animals.
It's with our hands we can do
all the things that animals can't do.
So if my hands were removed before I die?
No hands.
Yeah, then...
Yeah, I could quite happily eat you.
[clears throat]
Can I just say...
[hesitates]
So...
To hope.
Are you all right, Captain?
Mm.
[grunts]
Here! Here!
Hey!
Hey!
[panting]
[grunts]
[woman] It's okay.
Naja?
I just missed you so much.
Me too.
Captain, it's getting cold out here.
Come back inside.
You okay?
Captain, have you...
Oh, yeah.
Irritating little bastard.
[Naja] Was this worth it?
Is this what you wanted?
There's still time, isn't there?
For a ship?
Yeah.
For someone to come.
The ice isn't completely
impassable yet, is it?
I'm going to look anyway.
Water's just boiled.
[wind gusts]
[door closes]
I'm worried about him.
[Naja] He seems okay.
He seems okay.
We can all seem okay.
But inside...
he's not the same.
I think he's taken it hard.
I think he's blaming me
for missing the ship.
We need to keep an eye on him,
make sure things don't get too much.
[wind howls]
[footsteps approach]
Do you believe in ghosts, Captain?
Ghosts?
Like... dead people still here?
Don't be daft.
I met my grandfather earlier.
Your grandfather?
Here?
No. Just up on the hill.
Wh-what do you mean you met him?
You sensed him? You felt his presence?
[Iver] No.
I'm not sure.
I think he may have passed away
whilst we've been here.
[hesitates]
It doesn't necessarily mean he's dead.
No. Maybe not.
I'm sorry. I'm... I'm really sorry.
- I didn't mean to...
- [Iver] No.
- If there's anything I can, you know...
- I know.
You're always here.
[chuckles]
[Naja] What if you never come home?
You had everything.
- We were going to get married.
- I didn't have an option.
- I couldn't see another way.
- Someone else could do this. Why you?
No one else could have done this.
I don't know why it had to be me,
but it did. It was always going to be me.
What about Iver? Did he have a choice?
He volunteered. He knew the dangers.
You do know
that no one is coming to get you?
- I know.
- Don't you?
[sobs] I know.
I shouldn't have left you.
I'm sorry.
[sobs]
[wind gusts]
["Moonbeams" by Victor Herbert playing]
The day is done
- And the night comes on
- [Naja laughs]
And the birds have sought their nest
The stars are awakening one by one
The whispering breezes are still
The moon shining bright
With a radiant light
Is silvering valley and hill
Moonbeams shining soft above
Let me...
[Ejnar groans]
What is it?
Oh.
No, it's this. It's repulsive.
- Don't be silly. Let me see.
- No.
Get out.Get out!Get out!
Fate may part us...
Iver?
Iver!
Iver!
No.
I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
- Lance it for me.
- What?
Lance it for me.
- You're kidding?
- Please.
Inside.
[panting]
[Iver] Okay. All right.
[exhales]
- All right.
- Yeah.
- Don't move.
- Mm.
[grunting]
Just do it!
Okay.
[shakily] Three,
two,
one.
[squelching]
[yells]
[birds tweeting]
[Naja laughs]
[clanging]
[Iver sighs]
[clangs]
Yes!
Morning, Captain.
You've been asleep for hours.
I was dreaming.
I was home.
Hm! That's nice for you.
How's the, um, neck holding up?
[chuckles]
I had a dream too.
I almost feel guilty about it.
I know you picked her,
but I guess last night,
she decided to pick me,
if you know what I mean.
Did you see the tracks outside?
I'll go and have a look.
Might be a rabbit or something.
[door closes]
I don't want to know.
[Naja] It was just a dream.
I don't want to know.
I'm gonna kill him.
[clattering]
[Iver whistling]
[Ejnar] You took her!
You took her!You took her!
[grunting]
Captain.
Stop, stop. Stop!
- [Ejnar] She was mine!
- It's okay.
- Mine!
- It's okay.
[grunting]
[panting]
[door closes]
Captain, it's not real.
Calm down.
It's not real.
No, no, no!
- Captain, put it down.
- [Naja] Don't do this!
It isn't real.
- Calm down.
- [Naja] Don't do this. It's not real.
[Iver] It's not real.
- Don't do this!
- [Iver] Put the gun down.
- [Naja] Stop!
- It's not real!
- Put it down.
- Put it down!
- Put it down!
- [Naja] Ejnar, stop!
[Iver panting]
[softly] Just...
[Ejnar muttering]
[sobs]
[water pouring]
I'm sorry, Iver.
It never happened.
Okay?
How much food do we have left?
[Iver sighs]
Hardly any.
- Ammunition?
- We had two cartridges.
[muffled footsteps]
[banging]
[thumping]
[footsteps approach]
You see anything?
No.
[growls]
[bear snorts]
It's a bear!
Where's the rifle?
- It's in the storage hut!
- What?
[creaking]
Make noise. Make noise!
[Ejnar yells]
[yelling]
[whispers] You think it's gone?
I don't know.
[muffled footsteps]
Iver?
Iver?
- [softly] Iver. Iver.
- [grunts]
The bear. The bear!
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
One chance. One shot. Don't miss.
[heavy breathing]
One, two, three.
[war cries]
Okay. Hey.
[panting]
[man] Give me your weapon.
You're safe.
It's okay.
You're going home now.
[morse code beeping]
[Neergaard] What is the single
most important task for an explorer?
When you travel into unknown lands
to discover new parts of the globe,
it is to ensure the records
of your discoveries
are delivered back safe and sound,
with or without you.
Otherwise, it is all in vain.
The blood, sweat and tears
would all be for nothing.
Unlike the honorable members
of the Danish press,
we in the Danish government
never doubted for a second
that Captain Mikkelsen
would return home safe and sound.
We played our part in ensuring
the safe return of a Danish hero.
[applause]
So many people in there.
Mm.
You know that ship,
the Titanic?
Mm.
It only went and sunk.
- You wanted to work on that.
- [chuckles]
Lucky.
I've always been lucky, me.
No.
I'm the lucky one.
I wouldn't be standing here
if it wasn't for you.
[Neergaard] ...which leads me to read...
Thank you, Iver.
"Based on the findings brought back
by Captain Ejnar Mikkelsen,
the United States hereby acknowledge
that Peary Land is not an island,
but a part of Greenland."
[applause]
[Neergaard] "The United States
of America lay no claim..."
[Ejnar] Iver.
- Yeah?
- Is there a woman standing there?
Yes.
[applause]
Captain...
Captain.
[Iver] Captain.
[Iver clears throat]
- [Neergaard] It gives me great pleasure...
- Congratulations, gentlemen.
Thank you.
...to be the first person to welcome home
the men who made the impossible possible.
Um...
This is Iver.
Iver Iversen.
- It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss...
- Holm.
Naja Holm.
[applause]
It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Holm.
And you.
Captain Ejnar Mikkelsen
and Iver Iversen.
Go. They're waiting for you.
[chuckles] They have returned,
I promise you!
[audience laughs]
- Minister. Iver Iversen.
- Thank you, sir.
[audience cheers]
[applause continues]