A Storm for Christmas review: Sometimes, getting stranded can help you get to your destination

3/5

Story: It's 24 hours before Christmas at Oslo's busy Gardermoen Airport, and people rush to make it to their flights — each at the airport for their own reasons. Off the bat, we're introduced to a family of three — Trine (Line Verndal) and Sindre (Oscar Jean), who are constantly arguing, and are off on a trip with their young daughter, Kaja (Talia Lorentzen). Alex (Ibrahim Faal), a man dressed as Santa Claus, is rushing into the airport, where he works. A pop star Ida (Ida Elise Broch) is going to London for a concert and is accompanied by her assistant Ingvild (Evelyn Rasmussen Osazuwa) and bodyguard Asle (Kalle Hennie). Ida can't travel by her private jet as it is grounded due to bad weather, leaving her cross with Ingvild, who is doing everything possible to make things comfortable for Ida. As a bratty Ida heads through the check-in counter, which is something that she is clearly not used to doing, we meet Arthur (Dennis Storhøi), a popular pianist who is forced to travel by economy due to packed flights, but blames it on a poor newspaper review by a critic. 

As a sour Arthur tries to sneak a smoke in an airport bathroom, we see a couple rushing into the handicap stall where Arthur is to get down and dirty with each other. Later, we find out that Stine (Sus Noreen Jondahl Wilkins) is actually cheating on her rather demanding boyfriend. Next, we are introduced to David (Jan Gunnar Røise), a friendly man who, despite the biting cold, is dressed in a tropical shirt for his holiday in Malaga. We meet this happy-go-lucky man who readily helps those around him through Ronja (Maibritt Saerens), a priest and comforting figure who works at the airport, who's job is pretty much to help anyone in need. 

Marius (Jon Øigarden), a bartender, is busy attending to the rush of passengers who are stranded at the airport after all flights are cancelled. Visibly upset after a phone call which seems to be about his health, he puts his issues aside, hearing out other's worries and offering soothing and wise words of advice, when required. Marius seeks a few minutes of Ronja's time, but she is busy trying to help out an old man who has lost his memory and has no one to care for him. 

Henrik (Valter Skarsgard), a baggage handler, meets Lasso, a Chinese Crested dog, who is trapped in transit at the Oslo airport. Henrik, who is ridiculed by his colleague for not having started a family yet, comforts Lasso, while finding comfort in the dog. Meanwhile, Maria (Ariadna Cabrol), who has spent all her life savings on her son Lucas' eye surgery, is trying to reach New York in time for the operation. Parallely, Diana (Hanna Ardéhn) the romantic meets pilot Olav (Ravdeep Singh Bajwa), a cynic who is bitter that he has been put on standby during Christmas time. 

Finally, there is Thea (Carmen Gloria Pérez), a security officer at the airport; Sara (Thea Sofie Loch Næss), a young woman at the bar who is making a list of Christmas gifts for her father who she seems to know little about; Frank (Kyrre Hellum), a taxi driver who agrees to drive the rich and brash lawyer Bobbie (Alexandra Rapaport), who could care less for the natural calamity and simply wants to reach London in time for an important meeting; an old woman (Ghita Nørby), who comes to Stine's rescue, and Kine (Catharina Vu), a service assistant at the airport who, with a random act of kindness unknowingly sets two diametrically opposite people down the path to their happily ever after. 

All the characters in this large ensemble cast are strangers to each other, but they are all interconnected in some way and shape each other’s destinies. No one is happy about being stuck at a busy airport just before Christmas, but looking at each other’s difficulties helps them go through an internal journey, finally leaving Oslo airport as better versions of themselves 24 hours later, having learnt some precious life lessons. 

Verdict: You couldn’t call something a Christmas special if it doesn’t leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, which A Storm for Christmas does manage to do in parts. While some connections and outcomes are unexpected, others are cliche and one can see where their story is headed. Nevertheless, the narration, the neat camerawork, style of storytelling and the connections that are formed between the characters does make for an interesting one-time watch.