Through Thin Ice

Filmmaker(s)

Gabrielle Kardon – Director
Arthur Veenema – Director

Running Time

Feature Film

11 minutes

Genres

Documentary, Short

Through Thin Ice

At twilight, a scientist runs with her husband and dog along the shores of the Great Salt Lake. Their dog ventures out on rare lake ice and plunges through, catalyzing a desperate series of choices. After an improbable rescue, she questions whether she always makes rational decisions. Told from two perspectives, the film explores how we assess risks, make decisions, and the role of chance. Set on the spectacular landscape of the Great Salt Lake, told with evocative animations, and highlighted by a haunting score, our film will inspire audiences to discuss the choices we make in dire circumstances.

Filmmaker Notes:

As a scientist, Gabrielle’s days are filled with carefully planned and thoroughly analyzed experiments. However, one freezing night at the Great Salt Lake a series of chance events quickly turned into a dire situation and her rational thinking was overturned. This film arose out of a need to reflect on the events of that night. Teaming up with directing partner Arthur Veenema, we created a film that uses a combination of interviews, animation, and footage of the lake to explore how we make choices in desperate circumstances and the consequences of those choices.