The Last Winter 4K 2006 Ultra HD 2160p

Storyline
The American oil company North Corporation is building an ice road to explore the remote Northern Arctic National Wildlife Refuge seeking oil. The independent environmentalists together with the base leader, Ed Pollack, reach an agreement with the government, approving procedures and reports of the operation. When a team member is found dead naked on the snow, the environmentalist James Hoffman suspects that gases may have been accidentally released from the drill site provoking hallucinations and insanity in the group. After a second fatal incident, he convinces Ed to travel with the team to a hospital for examination, however, people continue to die.

User Review

The film explores a very interesting and relevant topic related to global warming, asking a number of thought-provoking questions. It does so by drawing on the genre of the mystical thriller.

With its unhurried pace, the film may not appeal to viewers expecting naturalistic horror with fast-paced action, but fans of mystery stories will enjoy it, as it smoothly immerses them in the snow-white wasteland of Alaska, a realm of eternal winter where it is best not to venture if you want to avoid freezing to death or losing your mind. The story, played out with the help of a small, isolated community of oil company workers, tells of the pressing problems of the irreversible consequences of environmental destruction. Initially immersing us in everyday life, occasionally throwing in hints of a paranoid thriller mixed with the ideological clash of certain characters (a nature conservationist and hunters of underground riches) and personal relationships (one woman for two men), the script increasingly inserts supernatural elements, not forgetting the specific setting of survival amid total cold, ice, and exhausting journeys through the snow. With each passing minute, the situation worsens, forcing the viewer to watch with intrigue the possible outcome—the survival of a handful of people. And the further the film progresses, the more acute the situation becomes, where it is unknown what or who, as if ominously hovering in the air among the snowflakes, intensifies the colors, bringing one misfortune after another.

The portrayal of a certain Evil is particularly intriguing, making excellent use of the technique of complete understatement, forcing the viewer on the other side of the screen to come up with their own interpretations of what is happening, and not just once. However, the director, who is also the co-author of the script, knows how to make apt hints, expressing them through the main character, who prevents oil extraction and prophetically foreshadows something wrong, as if nature itself, the planet, the earth, its ancient deposits under the thick snow, and the ancient beast-like ghosts awakened by the ungrateful deeds of greedy humanity, which melted the ice crust. It could be prosaic unknown gas or spores affecting the psyche, or perhaps a malicious spirit, or a righteous defender of desecrated nature, helping to save the Earth from two-legged parasites pumping black blood from its depths... Multiple omissions, lingering questions, and a series of terrible accidents all create an almost palpable aura of foreboding. However, the climax, which again does not completely abandon its aura of mystery, puts many things in their place to one degree or another, gravitating more and more towards the magical trail of another metaphysical parallel world, so far removed from civilized materialism.

As a result, the film leaves a mixed impression, because technically it is an inexpensive production with a minimal budget, rarely resorting to spectacular special effects or answers to all the questions posed, and therefore may disappoint a certain audience. On the other hand, seekers of unusual mystical thrillers, filmed against the backdrop of the beautiful panoramas of snowy Alaska, which is an integral part of every frame, with quite decent acting by the recognizable Ron Perlman and James LeGros , can enjoy watching it, shut away in a majestic corner of the frozen land, where Winter reigns with its almost incorporeal spirits, cleansing the virgin snow of footprints. Moreover, it is not often that the action-packed horror genre features stories that address acute global environmental issues, depicting the controversial interplay between Good and Evil, where it is difficult to determine the positive and negative characters in the narrative: frightened people and punishing nature. Who is who: us or her? Unfortunately, civilized man and nature are unable to coexist.

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (79.4 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Info Audio

#English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
#English: FLAC 2.0 (Commentary by Director/Producer/Editor/Co-writer Larry Fessenden)
#English: Dolby Digital 1.0 (Commentary by Director Larry Fessenden & Justin LaLiberty (Vinegar Syndrome))
#English: Dolby Digital 1.0 (Commentary by Film Critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas)

Info Subtitles