Infinite Storm (Mini-Review)

Infinite Storm is a movie based on Pam Bales' life. In it Pam is hiking on Mount Washington like she's done countless times before. Even though a storm is reported to be coming that day, she decides to take the hike anyways. A storm drives her not to complete her journey while footprints drive her to help a man. Even though the man doesn't seem to want her help, she risks her life for him. Infinite Storm was released in 2022. It was directed by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert. It stars Naomi Watts, Sophie Okonedo, and Billy Howle.

This movie was extremely beautiful. The snow and mountains made me really wish I could still hike. But since I have asthma and tendonitis in both feet, hiking is a thing of the past. So it felt like escapism to see the scenery of Mount Washington. I haven't checked if it was filmed on location and if it wasn't...I would love to hike wherever it was filmed. In tense moments I couldn't feel a lot of tension as everything looked so beautiful. If you can see this move in theaters, I would highly recommend experiencing it that way.

I didn't look up anything about Pam Bales before seeing the film and didn't watch any trailers. I wanted to expand the types of movies I see and so decided to go see it. So I went into the film blind. I didn't know how faithful a "based on a true story" movie it was. Though I was pretty certain Pam would survive, I wondered if the film was a speculation on what actually happened. That would mean she didn't have to survive the movie.

Pam and "John" didn't make me feel much. That isn't to say I felt nothing. Even before finding "John", Pam manages to get herself into a situation. Then since "John" didn't want to be saved he kept making things a lot harder for both himself and Pam. So there is tension there but even the big moments are very subdued. Which is honestly refreshing as it's the polar opposite of the films I tend to watch. I think I might not have been able to connect with Pam and "John" that much because this film looks really good!

Near the beginning of the film Pam mentions that going on hikes is cheaper than therapy. Which means that something horrifying happened in her past. During the movie there are flashes here and there about what that event could have been. And boy is the reveal worth the wait. It's one of the most heartbreaking moments of the film when the entire flashback is revealed. The moment gets even more heartbreaking when Pam describes what happened to "John".

I would recommend Infinite Storm to those seeking a film based on a true story. I would also recommend Infinite Storm to those wanting a drama.