Like a plaything of the forces of nature, the research icebreaker Polarstern braves the roaring waves of the Southern Ocean. Here, where the Antarctic Circumpolar Current races ceaselessly around the continent, the stability of East Antarctica’s massive ice sheet hangs in the balance. Once considered unyielding, the warming ocean now threatens to undermine its very foundation—with consequences of global significance: sea levels, ocean currents, and the climate system. To find answers, an international research team set out aboard the Polarstern in November 2023. Amid the world’s stormiest waters, they are setting up camps, collecting ice and rock samples, and venturing into unknown territories by helicopter. It is science at the very limits of human endurance—and of crucial importance for our future.

Synopsis: TMDb.