Netflix's latest survival film Against The Ice is based on the events of the 1909 Alabama expedition, prompting audiences to ask how much of it really happened. The story follows a Danish mission, led by Ejnar Mikkelsen, deep into the Arctic to recover lost evidence that could disprove the U.S.'s claim to the northern part of Greenland. Captain Mikkelsen is joined by his mechanic, and the only volunteer from his ship crew, Iver Iversen, to brave the icy conditions.
Against The Ice is directed by Danish filmmaker Peter Flinth and stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Joe Cole. Coster-Waldau also co-wrote the film, having been inspired by Mikkelsen's autobiography Two Against The Ice. In Screen Rant's interview with Peter Flinth, the director acknowledges the true story is fairly unknown, so he was keen to use artistic license to bring the expedition to life.
Most of Against The Ice is a faithful account of what happened in real life, based on Ejnar Mikkelsen's book. The two heroes. Mikkelsen and Iversen, are both real historical Danish figures. Mikkelsen was an experienced Arctic explorer before the events of the film, having already been on expeditions to Greenland, Alaska, and the North Pole. The unlikely backstory of his partner, Iver Iversen, is also true. Iversen was not part of the original Alabama expedition crew, replacing the crew's original mechanic in Iceland despite having had no previous experience of surviving in the Arctic.
Coster-Waldau and Cole's Against The Ice characters endure several setbacks during their trek, most tragically the loss of their sled dogs. According to Mikkelsen's book, the dogs did all die, but he only recalls some of the deaths that are shown on-screen. The duo was forced to feed some of their dogs to the rest of the pack, and, on one occasion, resorted to eating parts of a dog themselves. Mikkelsen's autobiography also recounts that the dogs often fought with polar bears that they encountered, but none were mauled to death by the bears as they are in the film.
Halfway through the March 2022 Netflix movie, the duo has seemingly overcome the worst when they arrive back at camp. But their troubles have only just begun as they discover their crew has abandoned them. This also all happened in real life. The crew planned to stay at camp while Mikkelsen and Iversen were gone, but the ice badly damaged their ship. This forced them to build a temporary hut, which still stands today, from wood they salvaged from the wrecked ship, and then they left when a Norwegian ship passed by. Later in the film, a polar bear tries to break into the hut while Mikkelsen and Iversen camp there, but they manage to scare him off. In reality, the event was much scarier, as the bear actually got inside, only to be shot and killed by Iversen.
The two explorers were eventually rescued after almost two years of isolation. In the Netflix movie adaptation, the rescue team includes the Alabama expedition's original crew who, throughout the film, try to convince the Danish government to fund a search mission. In reality, the Danish government was against a rescue mission as they did not want to risk more fatalities, and instead, the two were picked up by a Norwegian whaling ship that thankfully passed by. While some minor changes were made to the story for dramatic effect, Against The Ice is a close account of what truly happened to Ejnar Mikkelsen and Iver Iversen.