"Breaking the Ice" - Tribeca Film Fest Review
Breaking the Ice, the feature film debut of director Clara Stern, centers on Mira (Alina Schaller), captain of the local ice hockey team, the Dragons. In a perfect world, Mira would spend all her time and energy on ice hockey, but her family runs a vineyard that she will inherit one day. Her grandfather used to run the vineyard, but has developed dementia in his old age. The future of the family business falls entirely on Mira, because her brother, Paul (Tobias Resch), abandoned the family years ago.
Theresa (Judith Altenberger) is new to the Dragons team, and her easy-going nature is immediately infuriating to Mira. At the same time, Mira finds herself drawn to Theresa’s more freewheeling ways. When Paul unexpectedly drops back into Mira’s life, he drags her into a life of partying. Slowly, Mira comes out of her shell and sees there’s more to life than striving for perfection.
When done right, the dynamic between the sunny optimist and the rigid rule-follower is perfect fodder for a romance. It’s the collision of two starkly different approaches to the world that allows Mira and Theresa to reevaluate how they handle obstacles. At first, Mira feels a bit of jealousy when it comes to Theresa. She moves through the world with a freedom Mira has never allowed for herself. From the stress of keeping her family business afloat to her grandfather’s dementia to being captain of the hockey team, Mira puts immense pressure on herself.
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Schaller’s quietly commanding performance as Mira elevates Breaking the Ice to something beyond a simple romantic sports dramedy. Schaller gives an authentic depth to Mira, so that her closed-off nature is never grating. Her performance is nuanced so the audience is able to see the generational burdens and expectations Mira is saddled with.
At times, the camera gets a little overwhelmed in the hockey montages and moves too frantically amongst the skaters. Despite the fact that ice hockey is an integral part of Mira’s life, it’s probably the weakest aspect of the film. The team is working toward a championship game, but the win/lose stakes don’t come across in the plot. Despite that, Mira’s highs and lows on the team are essential to the way she changes throughout the rest of the film.
Breaking the Ice is more meditative character study than all-out sports drama, and it’s all the more better for that.
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