She Cannot Outrun the INFINITE STORM

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres from director Malgorzata Szumowska and Bleecker Street is the true story of a life change when she least expects the INFINITE STORM.

Pam Bales (Naomi Watts) is an experienced climber who packs intently to spend the day hiking up Mount Washington, New Hampshire after telling friend Parker (Denis O’Hare). Climbing to the top of a peak, she sees that a blizzard is heading her way and begins to climb down. As the wind picks up, she struggles to stay on her feet but notices a set of footprints that look strangely out of place.

Following each step, it leads her to a man sitting as the storm swirls around him. Dressed in shorts, tennis shoes and nothing to keep him warm. The man refuses to respond to Pam who is yelling over the sound of the wind. Trying to get him covered the best she can with what is in her backpack; Pam struggles to get the man to cooperate.

Giving him the name ‘John’ (Billy Howle), Pam navigates him through the snow as best she can. The storm is relentless, but she knows that if they are both to survive, she must keep John awake and motivated to continue. Even when they are able to stop for moments, Pam realizes that there is something emotionally going on with John.

Finally at the bottom, Pam realizes that her own tragedy has kept her from moving forward and perhaps their journey saved each other!

Watts as Pam has taken the character out of the world and into a life where she does not feel the need to have people around her. Everyone has a past, but Pam has a past filled with a pain that has basically caused her to live a paralyzed life. Hiking in the mountains gives her a reason to steer clear of humanity. The snowstorm and John pushes Watt’s character to remember that life is precious and that even with unforeseeable tragedies, Pam can be part of the world in a wonderful way.      

Howle as ‘John’ is a frozen human during a snowstorm that is equal in emotional and physical pain. Being pushed to survive by a stranger, John fights at every turn making things even more dangerous for both Pam and himself. Howle’s character has his own story to tell yet, like his journey of survival, he will tell it in small steps.

Bleecker Street is a New York City film company that has brought outstanding films to the public. Their library includes TRUMBO, DENIAL, THE LOST CITY OF Z, BEIRUT, HOTEL MUMBAI, ORDINARY LOVE and THE ROADS NOT TAKEN. For more information on the titles from Bleeker Street please visit www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com.

INFINITE STORM is based on the Ty Gagne article High Places: Footprints in the Snow Lead to an Emotional Rescue written about Pam Bales. Joshua Rollins wrote the screenplay based on that article to bring the film to screen. 

Watts turns in a stellar performance as Pam Bales and has proved for the second time in a few weeks that she is perfectly capable of carrying a film on her own. In February she starred in THE DESPERATE HOURS as a mother who is miles from home when her children are in danger and now with INFINITE STORM, she carries the story of a woman who must break away from her past.

This film is a dual fight for both Pam and ‘John’, the fight for survival against Mother Nature who has her own weather plan and the fight with emotional pain from tragic events in both their lives. The character of Pam is a woman who hikes to not think about it until she is put in a position to ignore her pain any longer, Watts gives us all of that emotion and more.

In the end – the mountain brought them together!