The film stars Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Gil Bellows, Rachel Blanchard, Martha Burns, Aidan Devine, Gage Munroe, and Line Verndal.

Set during the Great Depression, it follows Tomas Sorensen (Kaas), a Norwegian man who emigrates with his family to Canada to establish a wheat dynasty, but when his wife Solveig (Verndal) dies, he embarks on a mission to build a ship and return her body to Norway.

Mad Ship tells the true story of a Scandinavian immigrant who built a boat to carry the body of his dead wife.

"[5] The Toronto Star said "There’s more to Mad Ship than what is on the surface, and Mortin — ably assisted by Michael Marshall’s gorgeous cinematography — gets there in the end.

"[3] Canada.com said "Despite the excellent period production design that allows us to enter 1920s Manitoba, its desperate message of survival seems crafted for today’s world as economic uncertainty, hefty unemployment and poor stewardship of the land has left the rest of us searching for a rescue vessel on the greasy plains of 21st century progress.