Review: Centigrade

We’ve all done it, pulled over in a storm to wait it out. But what happens when doing the safe thing turns deadly? 

Matt (Vincent Piazza) and his pregnant wife Naomi (Genesis Rodriguez) pull over to wait out a blizzard and wake up to a freezing nightmare. Their car has been buried under the snow, in a foreign country, in the middle of nowhere, with no cell service, and a depleting battery. Not wanting to take a risk, Matt decides they should wait for help instead of escaping.

Luckily they have a roadside kit with a few candles for light and the clothes they packed for extra warmth. The couple attempts to create an escape plan, Naomi wants to break a window, but Matt doesn’t want to take the risk of letting more cold air in. Instead, he tries to melt the ice around the window to roll it down. Unfortunately, the window barely budges. As the days go by, their food supply dims, and they start to become stir crazy.

Tensions rise between the two as the temperature drops. And we, the audience, start to believe the two may not make it out alive. 

There are no jump scares or ghosts, but this film is terrifying. The reason why is because it could happen to anyone. And while being trapped in a car with no way out is scary, the wide shots of an icy desert with no sign of life is the chilling part about Centigrade. Seeing what the couple in the car can’t, gives the viewer the added suspense. Also, knowing Naomi is pregnant is a constant worry throughout the film. 

The thing I enjoyed most was that the director kept everything so simple. There’s no overbearing soundtrack or unnecessary CGI. It’s just two people in a car and the terrifying feeling of being trapped.

This film is just well done from start to finish. It opens with a title screen about the real-life incident and immediately cuts to them waking up to a nightmare. There’s not a second wasted. Every scene is full of story, even if the actors aren’t saying anything. If you’re in the mood for a suspense, this is definitely worth the watch.