The Deep

In regard to the real-life survival story and the extraordinary feat of the Icelandic fisherman, Guðlaugur "Gulli" Friðþórsson, Baltasar Kormákur's "The Deep" faithfully recreates the maritime tragedy of the ageing vessel, Breki, when on 11 March 1984 capsized near the Westman Islands, in the notoriously rough waters of the unforgiving North Atlantic. Among a small crew of six men, the cheerful, overweight, and utterly unassuming Gulli summons the strength to fight the omnipotent forces of nature, swimming back home for six hours in frigid and deadly waters. But, how on earth did he manage to cheat an impending deep hypothermia? Was it a matter of sheer determination, pure chance, or was it a case of an unfathomable mystery? —Nick Riganas