Official Trailer
About the film
When the pilot of a private jet dies mid-flight, a scientist on the verge of a breakthrough must fight for survival in the vast wilderness – and find the strength to return to the life she left behind.
Emma, a lead researcher on the verge of a breakthrough against antibiotic resistance, faces an impossible choice: miss her daughter Wilma's fourth birthday to protect a discovery that could save thousands of lives—or let years of work collapse. Her marriage already strained by her absence, she boards a private jet, knowing the decision may cost her family.
Mid-flight, the pilot suddenly collapses. With no flying experience and no one else on board, Emma must take control of the aircraft. Her desperate attempt to land leads to a crash deep in the vast wilderness of northern Sweden. Injured and alone, she must navigate ancient forests and treacherous terrain, confronting both nature's indifference and her own fragility.
As days blur and hope fades, Drifting in Silence evolves from a story of survival to one of reckoning. Stripped of control and certainty, Emma is forced to confront what she has sacrificed — the distance she built between her work and her daughter. Told without distraction or dialogue, the film immerses the viewer in her physical and emotional descent — a raw journey through silence, fear, and fragile hope. Visually intimate yet expansive, it captures both the stark beauty of the Scandinavian wilderness and the quiet strength of a mother who refuses to surrender.
Directors's Statment
Drifting in Silence began with a simple question: what would you do if you were left alone on an airplane? That premise—universal, primal, immediate—became a way to explore something deeper: how we choose to spend our limited time on earth, and what we are willing to sacrifice in pursuit of meaning.
I grew up in Dalarna, surrounded by ancient forests that are slowly disappearing. I wanted to capture what remains—not as a backdrop, but as a character. The wilderness in this film is both beautiful and indifferent. It doesn't care about human ambition; it simply exists, as it always has.
This is a film about survival, but not in the usual sense. It's not about conquering nature—it's about rediscovering connection. Stripped of work, technology, and control, Emma must confront the questions we all avoid: What am I living for? What have I been running from?
From the beginning, I wanted the film to feel honest. We didn't rehearse to perfection; we trusted instinct. I wanted to make a film that trusts the audience—where some things are earned through attention, not explanation.
Drifting in Silence reflects the distance between who we are and the world that sustains us. Emma's crash forces her to stop running and start seeing. I hope audiences leave the theatre in silence, carrying the film with them—not as entertainment, but as a question that lingers.
— Tom Grejs
Writer/Director
Production Notes
Drifting in Silence was produced independently by Dales Studios, a newly founded production company based in Dalarna, Sweden. The film marks both the feature debut of writer-director Tom Grejs and the studio’s first feature film. Behind the company are producers Tom Grejs and Martin Flink, who together have directed and produced more than 200 commercials and short-form projects over the past 15 years.
Shot over twenty days at Skavsta Airport and in the remote forests of northern Dalarna, the production embraced a minimalist approach — natural light, real locations, and a single lead performance to preserve authenticity. All wilderness sequences were filmed in untouched natural areas, some among the region’s last remaining old-growth forests. Every scene was designed to draw the viewer into Emma’s isolation and struggle while capturing the raw, unfiltered beauty of Sweden’s landscape.
Rather than following a rigid script, the filmmakers encouraged improvisation and instinct. Lead actress Magdalena Sverlander (Fackham Hall, Jason Bourne’s Treadstone) performed all her own stunts — including extensive water and mountain sequences — in demanding physical and emotional conditions. Her performance grounds the film in realism, turning survival into something deeply human.
Cinematographer Martin Flink (Karin & Carl Larsson, Nobellporträttet – Annie Ernaux) used handheld camera work and natural light to stay close to the character’s perspective, creating a visual language that feels both intimate and expansive. Sound design and mix by Martin Sandström (Trevlig Folk, Återträffen) and an original score by Jenny Waldemarsson complete the film’s immersive world of silence and endurance.
Produced in collaboration with Film i Dalarna and in association with Högskolan Dalarna, Drifting in Silence reflects the studio’s core ethos: to tell powerful, emotionally resonant stories with honesty, precision, and artistic integrity.
A note on the forest
The wilderness you see in Drifting in Silence barely exists anymore in Sweden.
To make Emma’s isolation believable, we needed real, untouched forest—places where no trace of civilization could be seen. That proved nearly impossible. Most of Sweden's forests today are industrial plantations or clearcuts, with logging roads cutting through what remains. For our story, that would mean a visible escape route.
We searched extensively across Dalarna and ended up filming primarily in nature reserves—some of the last refuges where old-growth forest still stands. Even there, we often had to be careful with our framing. Turn the camera just slightly, and you'd see a clearcut wasteland where ancient forest stood only months before.
What appears in the film—dense, wild, biodiverse forest—once covered most of Sweden. Now it's vanishing at an alarming rate, replaced by sterile monoculture plantations designed solely for profit. These ancient ecosystems harbor rare species, fungi, and vast underground mycelial networks centuries in the making—systems we, as humans, depend on for our own survival. Once they're gone, they cannot return. Not in our lifetimes. Not in our children's. Not ever.
We're a small film production company. We don't have political power or industrial influence. But we do have a voice, and we believe it's everyone’s responsibility to use theirs. The forest has no voice. The animals have no choice. If this film can make even a few people stop and see what's being lost—and ask why—then it matters beyond the story we're telling.
Magdalena Sverlander
The lead role is played by the multi-award-winning actress Magdalena Sverlander, who, after graduating from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, has built an international career across both Swedish and international film and television. Sverlander first gained recognition in the lead role of Tindra Diaz in När tårarna fallit (When the Tears Have Fallen), and was nominated for Best Actress at the Women X Film Festival in the UK for her performance as the android XYA in the BAFTA and BFI Network–backed sci-fi drama Downtime. Her additional film and television credits include Treadstone (Amazon), Ego (Filmlance), Blondie (Nordisk Film), and the lead role of Theresa Stenmark in the international drama series The Crown Witness (RTL/Strix Television), Jimmy Carr’s new comedy Fackham Hall, among others. In Drifting in Silence, Sverlander delivers a physically and emotionally demanding solo performance.
Emma / Lead role
Tom Grejs
Tom Grejs is an award-winning Swedish writer and director from Bjursås, Dalarna. He began his career in the early 2000s filming action sports before moving into narrative filmmaking. His short Old School (2006) was nominated for Best Original Film at the VAST Awards in Germany, and his follow-up Unfortunate (2009), developed through the talent program Upcoming — screened at several international festivals, including Atlantic Film Festival. After studying Screenwriting for Film and Television at Dalarna University, Grejs co-founded Stratos Cinema with filmmaker Martin Flink, producing and directing over 200 commercials and short-form pieces. In 2021 he established Dales Studios. His work often explores isolation, resilience, and the fragile connection between humanity and nature. Drifting in Silence marks his feature debut — a minimalist survival drama rooted in realism, silence, and emotional honesty.
Writer/Director/Producer
Martin Flink
Martin Flink is a Swedish cinematographer, director, and producer based in Dalarna. His passion for filmmaking began at an early age and developed through studies at Dalarna University before he embarked on a full-time career as a cinematographer. Flink is collaborating regularly with the biggest TV-channels in Sweden on documentary and non-scripted productions. His credits include the 3×60 min documentary Karin & Carl Larsson (SVT), Nobellporträttet – Annie Ernaux, Berättelsen bakom Vår tid är nu, Babel Sommar. He is currently working on a Warner Bros–produced television series as main photographer. As a director and producer, Flink has created the acclaimed documentaries Lokstallarna — finalist at the Košice International Film Festival. In 2021, he co-founded Dales Studios with writer-director Tom Grejs. With Drifting in Silence, Flink brings his documentary realism and visual precision to the narrative form, crafting an image language that feels both intimate and elemental.
Cinematographer/Producer
Credits & Specs
Emma
Magdalena Sverlander
Per
Oscar Skagerberg
John/Pilot
Glenn Anderson
Wilma
Scarlett Sverlander McNab
Written and Directed by
Tom Grejs
Produced by
Tom Grejs, Martin Flink
Cinematography
Martin Flink
Sound Design & Mixing
Martin Sandström
Original Score
Jenny Waldemarsson
Featuring Songs by
Dotty Blue
Editing, Grade & VFX
Tom Grejs
Production Design
Martin Flink, Tom Grejs
VFX Pipeline TD
Simon Björk
Make-Up
Anneli Elisabeth, Nelly Andersson
Additional Sound
Jakob Stenberg, Erika Iljero, Joan Alderman,
Alexander Feuk, Alexandra Svartsved
Co-Produced by
Film i Dalarna, Mattias Ehrenberg
Produced in Association with
Högskolan Dalarna, Axel Grigor
Executive Producer & Additional Writing
Magdalena Sverlander
Executive Producer
Martin Sandström
Consulting Producer
Jason McNab
Production Assistants
Ivan Welter, Albin Streitlien
Technical Specifications
Runtime: 87 minutes
Language: Swedish / English
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Sound: 5.1 Surround
Shot on Arri Alexa Mini
Grade at Dales Studios
Sound Mix at People in the Park
Press & Contact
Press & Publicity
For press, festival, and distribution inquiries:
press@dales.se
General Inquiries
Social Media
Instagram: @dalesstudios
Vimeo: vimeo.com/dalesstudios
IMDb: Drifting in Silence
Press Materials
A full Production Notes is available upon request and includes:
High-resolution film stills and key art
Official trailer and poster
Full Director’s Statement and Production Notes
Cast & Crew bios and credits
Technical specifications