Two women struggling to eke out an existence in the bleak Arctic. Minimal dialogue. Shocking violence. Doesn�t sound like an entertaining way to spend a few hours, but this is a real find.

Star rating: ****
Dir: Asif Kapadia
With: Michelle Yeoh, Sean Bean

Two women struggling to eke out an existence in the bleak Arctic. Minimal dialogue. Shocking violence. Doesn't sound like an entertaining way to spend a few hours, but British director Asif Kapadia's tundra-set chiller thriller, based on a story by Sara Maitland, is a real find. Michelle Yeoh (Memoirs of a Geisha, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) is the mysterious Saiva. Fearing she is cursed, Saiva has chosen to live with Anja (Michelle Krusiec) as far away from strangers as possible. The two, and their huskies, form a happy enough family, but that changes after Saiva finds a half-dead soldier (Sean Bean) on the ice and allows him into their world. Kapadia's tale is a very slow burner, and it takes some patience to get into its rhythms, but by halfway he has you gripped. Stunning photography, excellent performances, an altogether haunting experience.

• Cameo, Edinburgh. Glasgow Film Theatre, January 4-6.