Andrew Haigh films survival drama in Iceland

British filmmaker Andrew Haigh has called his new movie “All of Our Heartbeats,” out next month, his answer to The Revenant — a raw, survival-level drama shot in Iceland with no stunt doubles.

Haigh says he wanted to make a film that dug into the same themes of isolation and endurance but from an intimate, emotional angle rather than spectacle. The Revenant’s unforgiving wilderness and lone survivor narrative inspired him, even though his story is about a broken man and a dog on a remote island. Haigh wanted the physical hardship to mirror the emotional journey of his protagonist, a grieving architect who takes refuge in a cabin after his partner’s death.

The shoot was grueling. Haigh and his team braved sub-zero temperatures and relentless winds on Iceland’s volcanic coast for 12-hour days. The crew used minimal crew and practical locations to keep the tension raw. “We wanted it to feel like you’re there with them,” Haigh told The Hollywood Reporter. The film’s dog actor, an Icelandic sheepdog named Loki, became an accidental scene-stealer, nuzzling the lead actor during emotionally charged moments. The movie wraps in post-production with a planned autumn festival premiere.

If Haigh pulls this off, it could redefine how survival films work — less about gun fights or knife fights, more about the quiet battles inside us. The film’s stripped-down style and emotional core may resonate with audiences tired of spectacle-heavy cinema. Haigh’s next move is a return to television, but for now, he’s betting big on silence, snow, and a dog to carry a broken man home.