Advertisement :Frozen” isn’t a very good movie, but it is a brilliantly economical one, made in a way to gladden any producer’s heart. It has only three major roles. A lift chair is the principal setting. Most of the action consists of its heroes waiting for something to happen.
In a lot of ways it’s reminiscent of “Open Water,” the 2003 breakout hit that had two scuba divers left behind by a tour operator, treading water and watching the circling sharks. It’s all about the suspense.
It should be, anyway.
But “Frozen” doesn’t work nearly as well, partly because the high-concept plot feels exactly like the gimmick it is. (What’s next? “Down,” about four people stuck in an elevator? “Steps,” about five people stranded on a really big escalator?)
Mostly, though, the problem comes down to the writing. The chief reason that “Open Water” worked was that you believed in the couple in peril long before they were imperiled. You felt you knew them, and you saw their relationship change during the crisis.
But here, despite a long, slow buildup, we never connect with the characters, who barely progress beyond cute boy, cute girl and pothead best friend. And so, when they are finally stranded, we never feel as if we’re stuck up there with them.
It’s not the actors’ fault. What do they have to do here? As the couple, Kevin Zegers and Emma Bell have less depth than the snowflakes drifting past. As the smart-mouth friend, Shawn Ashmore has a little more to work with — and works it — but is still far short of compelling.
Adam Green, who wrote and directed, at least gives the film a good look. The movie is cut together well, with close-ups of the lift’s cold machinery adding just the right feel of inhuman menace. The real locations — and real winter, howling all around — add another important touch.
His beautiful daughter, eyed by the loan sharks of the village adds to Karma’s liabilities. Just when you anticipate where Karma’s struggle for survival will lead from here, the movie switches genres and takes a fictional turn suggestive of the climax of Manoj Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense . You are expected to use your extrasensory perception (read artistic vision) to comprehend the end and its implied message. It’s more of a case of incoherent storytelling over open ending.
The film evidently uses the landscapes of Ladakh as its USP, as the camera captures the beauty of the snow-capped peaks and the rocky terrains in the most magnificent manner. The black and white colour scheme adds serenity to the frames and is gracefully easy on the eye as well. The bright snow gives fair way for the white shade and you don’t miss much on detailing in black.
Unfortunately, as much as he captivates with his brilliant cinematography, Shanker Raman who also writes the film, fails to grip you with his disjointed screenplay. It’s not with the slow pacing or the conventional conflicts of the poor protagonist where he loses the audiences. The ambiguous culmination does more harm.
None of the secondary characters contribute towards the climax making the film appear like a docu-drama about the hardships of a local from Ladakh. The repetitive facades of misty mountains and curvy roads add to the documentary feel. The movie starts as a voiceover account by Chomo but strangely ends with the Lasya’s narration.
The most credible part of the film is its casting with each actor from Danny to Denzil Smith and Shakeel Khan to Shilpa Shukla suiting every bit to their character of Himalayan inhabitants. Danny plays his part effectively. The camera occupies Gauri’s face to the fullest but her act appears emotionally isolated.
Director Shivajee Chandrabhushan attempts his best to present Ladakh in a never-seen-before light but fails to narrate a compelling tale. The film fabulously freezes the splendour of its setting but melts down on sensible storytelling. On that note, Frozen leaves you cold.