The production team behind The Wave and The Quake aims another well-made and predictable Norwegian disaster epic at oil production. A heroic robotics engineer is working to save her boyfriend from being trapped in The Burning Sea. This film is about the impact of excessive greed which finally leads to tragedy. Drilling platforms like BP’s notorious Deepwater Horizon become environmental catastrophes if they fail. In this sense, The Burning Sea posits a worst-case scenario that might just happen.
Sofia Hartmann is played by Kristine Kujah Thorp. She together with Arthur (Rolf Kristian Larsen) run underwater exploration robots which resemble eels, without much help from anyone. Sofia has fallen for Stian (Henrik Bjelland), who lives and works on an off-shore oil rig in North Sea. When near rig erupts with gas explosion, Sofia and Arthur are commanded into hurry-up mode. Notably, Wlliam Lie (Bjørn Floberg) takes charge of the response for the Norwegian government.
Sofia manipulates the robot through twisted wreckage and bodies strewn all over the place in pitch darkness. They make a hopeful discovery but have to withdraw immediately because it makes no sense staying put at all cost when your life is at stake in such conditions as these ones. After this happens, we see a shocked Sofia reviewing video footage of the incident with Arthur (Hansen 2014). They discover that it was not accidental; rather it was deliberately caused explosion (Hansen 2014). Something else much more dangerous than usual is going on there (Hansen 2014). Sofia brings them to William after he opens their eyes about this deadly risk that may affect all North Sea oil platforms, he warns the energy minister Chris Staib about it which is also true since such an accident would cause devastation along Norwegian coastlines.
Unlike Hollywood disaster films The Burning Sea avoids exaggerated reactions. The filmmakers have done a good job establishing realistic tension in this movie. Characters rise to the occasion as the crisis escalates. Various military and civilian government officials come into play at different times. Numerous crucial scenes are staged in the control room where scientists and bureaucrats interpret data from computers (Hansen 2014). You might think it’s all submarine warfare, but it shows an accurate methodical response (Hansen 2014). After this, the film moves up a gear with its CGI-fueled scenes on the rig.
The relationship between Sofia and Stian becomes contrived due to his son Nils Elias Olsen’s inclusion. It is rather predictable that out of all those oil platforms spread across vast areas and inhabited by hundreds of employees, it is Stian who will need saving (Hansen 2014). And obviously Sofia has to do battle with mindless red tape just to get her man back (Hansen 2014). These moments are intended to have some emotional heft but they feel forced and even a little cheesy. I don’t mean any disrespect for Kristine Kujah Thorpe’s work; she puts forth an admirable performance as the protagonist here, however, I believe that script had better reduce its melodrama.
There is a prologue in The Burning Sea that explains directly what is going on there. Oil production means big money and profits. Cash flow is everything while consequences are inconsequential only if compared to cash flow (Hansen 2014). This myopic attitude has led to environmental disasters time and again (1). Here comes a time when there would be no turning back after such a disaster has occurred someday; this day may come very soon indeed though (1). This means The Burning Sea would be viewed as both cautionary tale and entreaty for responsible energy exploration written behind these lovers-in-distress antics.
The Burning Sea features Norwegian dialogue with English subtitles. It is a Fantefilm production in partnership with Creative Europe Media, Nordisk Film & TV Fond.
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