I think one can only applaud the talent, effort and passion that go towards creating a first-time, feature length film. Lenni Uitto proves he has potential for a solid future in filmmaking.
Not generally a fan of post-apocalyptic genre, I was drawn into the gripping, opening scene and found myself eager to see where exactly this story was going to take me. From the beginning, Permafrost boasts a breathtaking cinematic experience to showcase a cold and lonely existence. Perfect ambiance for what was most-likely some very frigid filming.
The main character, James (played by Uitto) has some great, poignant and playful moments in his interactions with little girl Meg (Riley Hardy), as well as some authentic interactions with Sam (Frank Cutler) and the arctic sled dogs (Fluffy gave the most tender performance).
At times, I wasn't quite sure what was going on or how some of the character interactions fit in to advance the story, and felt like there could have been less characters and more depth into some favorites.
There were a few scene transitions that felt abrupt, where I wanted to finish feeling the emotion, but ended up being cut short by editing.
Although I found a couple of the scenes unrealistic in execution (shootout and bar scene), it was fun to see the Kafusi brothers in action off of the football field.
I was pleasantly surprised with the exquisite, original Soundtrack from Canadian composer Yann Latour.
I also give a nod for casting some convincing bad guys, Jeremiah (Cory Dangerfield) and Mikhail (Ayden Tyler Hatch).
Overall, I definitely had fun watching this film and I'm excited to see what else Uitto brings to life in the future.
