The Burning Sea is an environmental thriller set on an oil rig in the North Sea.
So much drilling has taken place in the North Sea that the seabed has now become unstable. Scientist Stian (Henrik Bjelland) is trapped on a burning oil rig. The oil and gas industry in Norway has been burgeoning for several decades now, contributing hugely to the economy of that country as well as to many stories set within it.
The Burning Sea is visually dramatic, as the massive oil spill endangers not only the environment but also the life of the only scientist on board, Stian. The film is not didactic or, in any way, critical of the drilling that threatens the seabed and leads to such disasters. It is purely a thriller set on an oil rig at sea brought about by extensive drilling and the collapsed platform.
It falls to Stian’s girlfriend, Sofia (Kristine Kujath Thorp), to try to save his life, when he becomes trapped in an air pocket on a collapsed platform. She is assisted by her friend Arthur (Rolf Kristian Larsen). Stian’s son, Odin (Nils Elias Olsen) fears becoming fatherless as the drama unfolds.
The Burning Sea is a thriller with all the regular beats of tension and release, as one dramatic rescue is quickly followed by another crisis.