The Wave | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Roar Uthaug |
Produced by | Are Heidenstorm |
Written by |
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Starring | Kristoffer Joner |
Music by | Magnus Beite |
Cinematography | John Christian Rosenlund |
Edited by | Christian Siebenherz |
Production
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Distributed by | Nordisk Filmdistribusjon |
Release date
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Running time
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105 minutes |
Country | Norway |
Language | Norwegian |
Budget | US$6–6.5 million |
Box office | US$11.6 million |
The Wave (Norwegian: Bølgen) is a 2015 Norwegian catastrophe drama film directed by Roar Uthaug. It was Norway's official submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.
Countless mountains in Norway are unstable, and tectonic shift can cause large pieces to tear off and displace a massive amount of water in nearby rivers/lakes, resulting in a tidal wave equal to an underwater volcanic eruption. The movie presents a futuristic event in Møre og Romsdal for the Åkerneset crevasse to end in disaster; an avalanche resulting in an 80 meter tall tsunami that will destroy any nearby towns and attraction spots to sufficiently above sea level.
Kristian Eikjord (Joner), an experienced geologist is having his final day in Geiranger; a tourist destination in Geirangerfjord, with his family scheduled to move to Stavanger. After having a small farewell party with his colleagues in the Åkerneset monitoring station, Kristian and his children head off to catch the ferry to Stavanger, while his wife Idun (Ane Dahl Torp) remains working at a local hotel for a few more days. Kristian had earlier expressed concerns about some sensors shutting down which could be the signal of an imminent avalanche, but had been assured by his former co-workers that their readings show the crevasse was stable.
While waiting for the ferry, Kristian has an epiphany after observing surrounding events, and drives back to the geology center he just left, leaving his son Sondre (Hoff Oftebro) and youngest child Julia in the car. He explains his realization: earlier readings had shown various groundwater deposits 'disappearing'. Since the water cannot just vanish, it means it is moving through the mountain, between the plates of rock, reducing friction. This could allow slippage that would not only weaken and damage the wires connecting instruments within the crevasse to their monitors, but increase the chance of causing the 'stacked' rock plates to be shifted too far, causing a massive avalanche. To ensure the safety of the town, he and his partner Jacob head to the crevasse by helicopter, where they find that the wires connecting to their instruments have snapped.