Genesis Rodriguez talks ‘Centigrade’ & which is WORSE: Cold OR Claustrophobia?

We had a blast catching up with the talented, engaging, and hilarious Genesis Rodriguez, star of the IFC Midnight movie, Centigrade; talking back pain, freezing in the middle of Summer, and even her go-to acting technique – spinning around in circles.

Genesis stars as ‘Naomi’. In this film, a married couple awaken to find themselves encased in a solid block of ice surrounding their SUV.

Genesis and her co-star; Vincent Piazza, playing her Husband, Matt, spent countless hours inside a freezing, cramped SUV shooting this film. Those extreme conditions may make for effective film making, but can take a toll.

So, which was WORSE? The freezing temps, or the confined spaces? Watch the full interview above to find out!

Review: Centigrade

Bad.  Life.  Decisions.  One tries NOT to be judgmental of others, especially on the big decisions in life.  But, when a movie ‘based on actual events’ comes along, with characters so Book-Smart, and Life-Stupid, that you actually start rooting for the Nature in a ‘Man versus Nature’ struggle for life, its impossible NOT to judge!

Centigrade stars Genesis Rodriguez as ‘Naomi’ and Vincent Piazza as ‘Matt’.  Centigrade opens with Naomi and Matt waking up in a Sport Utility Vehicle, frozen solid in an impregnable layer of ice and snow.  Gradually, we learn that Matt and Naomi have decided to travel in Rural Norway, in the middle of Winter, in the middle of a blizzard, in a vehicle with limited supplies, while Naomi is 8 months pregnant; all in an effort to support Naomi’s book signing tour.  Yeah…  If your brain already hurts, but you haven’t started to root for Nature, yet, keep reading.

Set in the not-quite-yesteryear era of IPod’s and Nokia cell phones without G.P.S., Matt has no idea how to proceed, but insists that Naomi ‘listen to him’.  Matt is a head-strong, pseudo-intellectual, who struggles to hold a job, but isn’t afraid to verbally and emotionally abuse his third-trimester-pregnant wife.  Naomi is a published author, but has chosen to do a book tour in a sparsely populated area; in the middle of a Winter storm, with two bottles of water, and little more food than a submarine sandwich.  On top of that, she is taking drugs while pregnant, and he lost his job and didn’t tell his wife. 

Most great Man Versus Nature movies involve a person or persons struggling to overcome all odds to survive.  Tom Hanks in Cast Away, or Matt Damon in The Martian; go through hell, and come out the other side having faced obstacle after obstacle.  Matt and Naomi, however, decide to shelter in place and wait for help.  Despite being ‘over 50 miles’ from their intended destination, and alone on a desolate highway; they sit, and sit, and sit some more. 

Through the first two acts of the film, they sit.  Sometimes, they climb into the back seat.  Sometimes, they climb into the third row/trunk area.  But, mostly, they sit.  And, not-so-slowly consume what little rations they have.  Matt even finds a corkscrew; but instead of using it to chip away at their icy prison, he spends his days carving away at the dashboard of the Sport Utility Vehicle.  All this while tensions grow, and physical health declines.

Rodriguez and Piazza do excellent jobs with their roles.  Both fully commit to their characters and their scenes. Both bring nuance, realism, and an escalating discomfort and increasing sense of despair to the story. Together, these talented, intelligent actors shepherd the story of these book-smart, world-dumb characters to it’s sadly logical conclusion. Matt and Naomi make Harry and Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber appear like card carrying members of MENSA.

Director Brendan Walsh effectively moves the story forward, and keeps the visuals of the story fresh and dynamic, despite being stuck in a claustrophobic SUV.  Walsh even chose to shoot and edit the film in a Wide Screen 2.35:1 aspect ratio inside the cramp space.  Shooting in Wide Screen actually makes the spacious SUV feel more enclosed, more stifling.  His use of lighting, angle, reflection, and framing progressively reflects the increasing desperation of the characters as the situation worsens.  Walsh even shot the film in chronological order to add to the realism and depth of character development. Ultimately though, the overwhelming naivete, laziness, and lack of survival urgency from the main characters, makes rooting for the ONLY characters in the film impossible. In fact, this reviewer actually started rooting for Nature. That’s how un-likable these characters are.

By the end of the film, you actually start rooting for the snow. 

Despite great storytelling, Cinematography, Editing, and casting; this movie falls short.  The stupidity of the characters is so all encompassing, it distracts from the story being told, and makes feeling empathy for the protagonists IMPOSSIBLE.  I wish I could recommend this IFC Midnight produced film, but Forrest Gump had more street smarts and agency.  Matt and Naomi just sat there.