The Wave (2015)

Norwegian disaster film, The Wave (2015), by director Roar Uthaug, was Norway’s official submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards. Despite this, it failed to secure a nomination. Geologist Kristian Eikjord’s last day in the popular tourist spot Geiranger takes an unexpected turn when sensors on the mountain signal a disappearance of groundwater at Åkerneset. With his wife Idun still working at the local hotel for a few more days and his children Sondre and Julia with him, Kristian realizes something is amiss and quickly heads back to the geology center. There, he teams up with former coworker Jacob to investigate the issue and discovers that the sensor wires have been damaged due to movement inside the mountain. Despite agreeing to increase alert levels, Kristian’s boss Arvid refuses to sound an evacuation alarm in light of it being peak tourist season.

After returning to the car several hours later, Kristian discovers that the children have already left for the hotel. Julia expresses a desire to say farewell to their house, so they drive together and spend their final night there. Sondre reserves a room at the hotel before heading down to the basement with his headphones and skateboard. Meanwhile, Arvid and Jacob carefully analyze instrument readings and confirm their validity. Looking through old documents regarding past avalanches in Vajont and Randa, Kristian realizes that the mountain’s contractions are indeed a warning sign of an impending disaster. He immediately contacts the station and orders Arvid and Jacob to evacuate from the crevice while also sounding tsunami alarms for Geiranger’s residents.