Fram (2019)

Thomas Freundlich and Valtteri Raekallio are established dance artists and filmmakers who are also best friends and close artistic collaborators. In addition to working together on films and live productions, they share a lifelong enthusiasm for the great outdoors. Now, they have a goal of combining these two passions by creating a spectacular dance film on the arctic islands of Svalbard. The film "Fram" follows Thomas and Valtteri as they prepare for their mini-expedition to the Arctic, and plan the absurdly difficult task of bringing contemporary dance to the frozen north. At the same time, the authors relate their artistic and personal pursuits to how Arctic areas have historically been seen in Western societies: as a blank area on the map, a mythical land to be conquered, or an economic resource awaiting exploitation. To kick-start the discussion, they visit polar explorer A.E. Nordenskiöld's historic cartography collection and the Fram ship museum in Oslo. As a counterpoint to the two modern-day artistic explorers preparing their trip, we hear in voiceover the travel diaries of the genuine pioneers of centuries past, from Barentsz, the discoverer of Svalbard in the 16th century, to Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen. What would they have thought of all of this? Finally on location on a remote arctic island without any external support, the two filmmakers struggle to surmount the challenges of the natural elements, from riding out a five-day storm on a mountainside, to avoiding the polar bears roaming across the landscape. The adventure culminates in a stunning dance film sequence that explores the mythology of polar exploration from a previously unseen artistic point of view.