Centigrade (2020): A Chilling Test of Survival and Marriage

The storm buried them. Survival will define them.

Centigrade (2020), directed by Brendan Walsh, is a minimalist survival thriller that places its entire story within the frozen confines of a single, snow-covered car. Based on true events, the film follows a married couple trapped during a brutal Arctic storm, where survival means confronting both the deadly cold and the cracks in their relationship.

The film opens in Norway, where American couple Naomi (Genesis Rodriguez) and Matt (Vincent Piazza) pull over during a snowstorm while on a book tour. When they wake up the next morning, they find their car completely buried in snow and ice, with no phone signal and no one in sight.

With the storm continuing for days and temperatures plummeting below freezing, the couple is forced to ration food, conserve body heat, and maintain hope. But isolation, fear, and differing views on how to escape—or wait out—the disaster begin to test their relationship. As days stretch into weeks, and with Naomi heavily pregnant, their struggle becomes as much emotional as it is physical.

Centigrade is a two-person drama, and it relies heavily on the performances of Rodriguez and Piazza to carry the film. Fortunately, both deliver compelling, believable portrayals of two people who love each other but are pushed to their limits. Genesis Rodriguez, in particular, shines as Naomi—balancing vulnerability, stubbornness, maternal instinct, and quiet strength. Her character is both physically and emotionally tested, and her arc becomes the emotional center of the film.

Vincent Piazza’s Matt is more pragmatic, at times controlling, and driven by logic—creating a dynamic that’s less about hero vs. nature, and more about how two people process trauma differently.

Director Brendan Walsh takes a stripped-down approach, keeping the entire film set inside the car. This decision builds a claustrophobic, tense atmosphere. There's no flashy action or wide-open snowfields—only the muffled world inside a freezing vehicle. The camera rarely leaves their faces, forcing viewers to sit in their dread, breathe their cold breath, and feel the same panic and exhaustion.

The film’s sound design is especially effective. The creaking of ice, the howling wind, and the silence of snow all contribute to a sense of quiet terror. The minimal score enhances tension without being melodramatic.

At its heart, Centigrade isn’t just about surviving the cold—it's about enduring emotional frostbite. The film explores themes of trust, communication, resilience, and how people cope with helplessness. It's a portrait of a marriage under pressure, where unresolved conflicts rise to the surface, just as hope begins to freeze.

The pregnancy element adds additional tension. Every choice Naomi and Matt make isn’t just about themselves—it’s about the unborn child, forcing moral and practical dilemmas in a life-or-death context.

Some viewers may find the pacing slow, especially since the entire film takes place in one location. The repetition of days and conversations can feel frustrating—but that frustration mirrors the characters' own mental state. If you're looking for big twists or dramatic rescues, this isn’t the film for you. Centigrade is more psychological and internal.

Centigrade is a quiet, intense survival film that thrives on realism and restraint. Rather than sensationalize its story, it invites viewers into a frozen world where survival is about more than staying alive—it’s about staying connected. With strong performances and a gripping sense of confinement, the film offers a chilling reminder that sometimes the greatest test comes not from nature, but from within