We were sitting around talking about our ideal place to live when we all reach retirement age. The answers went from coast to coast, with the majority set in warmer regions. But even with an ideal location there was a caveat to each of our answers, the fear of a natural catastrophe taking place. For those who chose the California area there was the fear of earthquakes. Going to the opposite coast of the United States the concerns were hurricanes or rising sea levels. I already have enough to worry about on a daily basis, besides the violent storms that take place in my area. The idea of living in an area prone to devastating events would put me on edge to say the least. I guess it is a trade-off for those who want to live in a beautiful if not exotic area. What I am curious about is how the people who live in such places where earthquakes or flooding occur handle it all. The pictures I have seen of homeowners returning to their flooded and broken homes, even demolished ones, are just heartbreaking. I do not know what I would do if I came home one day and saw my house destroyed by fire or tornadoes. One of the reasons I am not a fan of July 4^th celebrations is because of all the people in my neighborhood who shoot off fireworks. Many homes are made of wood products besides all the trees; it does not make sense to me, but then again not many things these days make sense to me. Though the area looked unbelievable to me, I do not know how the people in this dramatic thriller could live there knowing what could happen one day.   LIVING in the area by the Geiranger Fjord was idyllic for geologist Kristian, played by Kristoffer Joner (The Revenant, The Monitor), whose job was to monitor for seismic activity. One day he noticed something different. This film festival winning action movie had some of the most beautiful outdoor scenes I have ever seen in a movie, possibly because the area is so foreign to me. I was grateful the subtitles were not distracting so I could really watch the story unfold. With Ane Dahl Torp (Dead Snow, Cold Lunch) as Idun and Thomas Bo Larsen (The Hunt, The Celebration) as Phillip, I thought the acting was pretty good, considering the script was somewhat weak in parts. One of the things I liked about this picture was its old fashioned feel; it reminded me of those disaster films from the 1980s. The story was simple and despite it being a bit predictable I really did not mind. This may sound weird to say about this disaster movie but I found it fun to watch with the dramatic harrowing scenes shot in a retro low budget way. I would have said I wanted to vacation here someday but after seeing this film I think I would be afraid the whole time. Norwegian language was spoken with English subtitles.

2 ½ stars