Is Against the Ice based on a true story? Netflix film explained

Some viewers will no doubt be desperate to know if the film is based on real events, and we've got all the details you need below – so read on for everything you need to know about the true story behind Against The Ice.

Is Against the Ice based on a true story?

The short answer is yes – the film tells the true story of a 1909 expedition taken by Danish explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen, as was recounted in his memoir Two Against the Ice, which was first published in 1955.

Mikkelsen – played by Coster Waldau, who also co-wrote the screenplay – had embarked on the expedition desperate to prove his theory that Greenland was one piece of connected land, rather than two distinct islands as was previously believed to be the case – partly in a bid to prevent the US from conquering half of the territory.

Broadly speaking, the film tells a relatively accurate account of what happened. It is true that an earlier expedition had seen a crew bury their findings in a cairn when they realised they might not be able to survive, drawing a map with directions to the files on one of the crewmate's bodies.

Naturally, however, the film does make a few diversions from the real story along the way – for example, it was not actually Mikkelsen who first found the map to the missing records as is shown in the film. That was instead the work of another Danish explorer by the name of Johan Peter Koch.

Speaking about adapting the true story, Coster Waldau recently explained to Deadline, “I didn’t know anything about [the story]. Peter sent me the book: Two Against the Ice by Ejnar Mikkelsen, years ago… I was blown away by the book. We’ve seen survival stories before but there was something about the way he wrote, Mikkelsen, and the love he had for Iverson really came through in the book.”

Against the Ice is streaming on Netflix now. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.

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