Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg.
Starring: Wes Bentley, Stephen Lang, Jonathan LaPaglia, Aksel Hennie, Stephanie Sigman, Jørgen Langhelle.
Certificate: 15.
Running Time: 111 minutes.
Synopsis: Based on the true-life story of the beginning of the Norwegian oil boom in the 1980s. Petter (Aksel Hennie), is a professional diver obsessed with reaching the bottom of the Norwegian Sea. He has the discipline, strength and courage to take on the world’s most dangerous mission, but a sudden, tragic accident changes everything. Petter is sent on a perilous journey where he loses sight of who’s pulling the strings. Gradually he realises that he is in way over his head and that his life is at stake.
Whilst the synopsis might not make PIONEER sound particularly special, the story is very powerful, especially considering the fact that real people lived through the situation. The film has also been picked up by George Clooney who is eager to make an English-language version of the film. But given the fact two of the cast are American, you have to wonder quite why Clooney and co. are so eager to recreate the story, especially as the Americans don’t come off too well. It’s refreshing, if not a little strange, to see American actors in a foreign production in relatively small supporting roles, but that is exactly what Bentley and Lang are onboard to do. The use of a multilingual cast also helps dilute the subtitles, making it an easier watch for those that aren’t the biggest fans of subtitled movies.
The film begins with a mixed group of Norwegians and Americans undergoing tests to determine how much pressure the human body can withstand. These scenes are very tense with the unseen entity of pressure making itself an extra inhabitant of the group’s tiny capsule. These tests are needed to support laying pipes on the ocean floor so that oil can be gotten to, being that it is the first time it has ever been done. The Norwegians have the manpower and the Americans have the new revolutionary gas mix, but within these two cultures there are of course rivalries, with every man wanting to be the first to step foot on the bottom of the ocean.
Once the initial pressure tests are complete it is time for the group to lay the first pipe. The sea is a deadly force and PIONEER showcases that early on with the brutal death of one of the crew. This tragic death is the catalyst for the second segment of the film. Though based on true events, PIONEER follows a film noir plot structure, making the story all the more engaging. Hennie really holds the film together, and his change from cocky diver-for-life to determined seeker of truth is deftly done. He elicits real pathos and torment as he struggles with both his guilt and grief about the loss of his crewmate.
Those of a nervous disposition may find several scenes a struggle to watch. Unsurprisingly there’s something about being trapped hundreds of feet underwater in an enclosed vessel that really heightens claustrophobic tensions. As the film spends a significant chunk of its run time underwater, we inevitably encounter the infamous diver-sickness, ‘the bends’, one of the most horrific sounding illnesses around, that will undoubtedly cause you to spend a good portion of the film squirming in your seat.
This film has one kicker of an ending which will leave you confounded as to how some people sleep at night. If you can, then you should definitely catch PIONEER before the Americans take over and rewrite film history once more.
[usr=4] PIONEER is released in UK cinemas on Friday 11th April, 2014.
