Imagine, if you will, a time in the future when Australian aborigines, Zulu tribesmen, pygmies from central Africa, and Inuit people from the arctic tundra are all making movies. What a time that will be for film lovers, with a fresh set of viewpoints and visual techniques. You needn't wait for the last of those groups to make their presence felt. Since 1990, there's been an Inuit film production company in operation in city of Igloolik, in the Northwest Territories of Canada, under the stewardship of Inuit native Zachias Kunuk.

Historical Background: Zacharias Kunuk was born in 1957 in a sod house in Kapuivik, Nunavut, on the arctic tundra, one of eleven children of Inuit parents. He lived the traditional Inuit lifestyle until he was nine years old, when Canadian authorities threatened to cut off government assistance to the family unless their children were sent to public school to learn English. The children had to be shipped off to Igloolik, a city 250 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, where about one-quarter of the Inuit population resides. The parents moved there two years later, though they've since returned to the nomadic way of life for most of each year, now that their children have grown up.

In Igloolik, Kunuk saw movies for the first time in his life and was exposed to Western perspectives and Christianity. Kunuk was dissatisfied with most of what the Inuit refer to as "southern" education and values. He quit school after eighth grade, but there was one aspect of southern culture that stuck with him: the movies.

The Inuits had crossed the Bering Straight from Asia thousands of years ago and have inhabited a vast part of the arctic territory ever since, extending from eastern Russia to Greenland. They have no written language or books, but are blessed with a rich oral cultural of legends and myths, maintained by storytelling. Kunuk cites the bedtime stories that he learned from his mother as the strongest influence in his artistic life. It occurred to Kunuk that cinema was an ideal medium for preserving and disseminating Inuit cultural traditions. Kunuk began documenting hunting trips, first with a still camera and, beginning in 1980, with Igloolik's first-ever video camera, purchased with money he earned selling soapstone carvings.

When the Inuit Broadcasting Company (IBC) opened a network based in Iqaluit in 1982, Kunuk got himself a job as a cameraman. Later, he moved up to senior producer and station manager. Then, in 1985, he got a grant from the Canada Council to make a documentary from the Inuit point of view. With that project, Kunuk established his association with writers, Paul Apak Angilirq, Norman Cohn, and Pauloosie Qulitalik. The four of them would later be charter members of the first independent Inuit movie production company, called Igloolik Isuma Productions, formed in 1990. All of the prime movers in the company were Inuits, except for Cohn, who was lured from New York City to join the effort.

Kunuk's early films consisted of short dramas and documentaries, all centering on Inuit life. One of the projects, Nunavut ("Our Land") (1994-5), was a 13-part miniseries made for television. Despite earning accolades from critics, Kunuk's work often met with resistance or disinterest from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and, sometimes even, the IBC. Kunuk found support, however, from the Canadian National Film Board and Telefilm Canada, which together funded his $1.9 million budget for Atanarjuat ("The Fast Runner"), begun in 2000. This first ever feature film in the language of the Inuits (called Inuktitut) was based on a traditional folk epic and combined ethnologically accurate documentary characteristics with a powerful tale of love, jealously, murder, and revenge. The film won the Camera d'Or (awarded to the best debut film) at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. It was also picked as one of the year's ten best films by dozens of international film critics. It then went on to win six Genies at the Canadian Film Awards. Those successes have helped to reduce the resistance to Kunuk's innovative work in Canada. Kunuk is currently working on a film focusing on the arrival of the first Christian missionaries and fur traders in Igloolik, in the nineteenth century.

The Story: At the dawn of the first millennium, the nomadic Inuit were already masters of the arctic tundra, surviving by hunting, fishing, and harvesting wild berries during the short summer months. With clothing made of sealskin and oil lamps to light their igloos, the Inuit banded together is small tribal groups composed of several generations of close relatives. At Igloolik, an ambitious and impatient young man, Sauri (Eric Nutarariaq), covets the place of his father, Kumaglak (Apayata Kotierk), as leader and shaman of the camp, especially because his father favors Sauri's rival, Tulimaq (Stephen Orunnut). Sauri's envious desire attracts an evil shaman from the spirit world, Tungajuaq (Abraham Ulayuruluk), who appears mysteriously in the camp, disguised as a stranger from the north. Tungajuaq murders Kumaglak, by means of a "playful" competition in the spirit world, and installs Sauri in his place. Tungajuaq also places a curse on Tulimaq before departing.

Kumaglak's wife, Panikpak (Mary Angutautuk), is furious at her son's betrayal of his father but can do nothing because women in this culture are powerless. She does, however, send her younger brother, Qulitalik (Charlie Qulitalik) into hiding in the remote and distant village of Sioraq, giving him a parting gift of her husband's powerful rabbit's foot, which now embodies all of the dead man's spiritual power.

Sauri's ascension to tribal chief, by means of patricide, destroys the spiritual balance of the small community, leading to years of struggle and disharmony. Tulimaq (Felix Alaralak) and his family bear the brunt of the agony. Under the weight of Tungajuaq's curse, Tulimaq's luck is always bad. When his knife breaks during a hunt, he must bear the taunts of Sauri and the other hunters who mockingly suggest, "Maybe your wife would make a better hunter!" Tulimaq's family has to make due with the hind portion of the seal at the communal feast. Only old Panikpak takes pity on them, bringing them a prized walrus heart to help nourish Tulimaq's wife, Pittaluk (Elizabeth Nutarakittuq), and their two young sons, Amaqjuat (Mark Alaralak) and Atanarjuat (Laurent Arnatsiaq).

Now the story fast-forwards some twenty years. Amaqjuat (Pakak Innuksuk) and Atanarjuat (Natar Ungalaaq) have grown into strapping young men and the best hunters in the tribe. Amaqjuat is nicknamed "The Strong One" and Atanarjuat is "The Fast One" because of their different special skills. The old rivalry between Sauri (Eugene Ipkarnak) and Tulimaq still simmers in another generation. Amaqjuaq and Atanarjuat are rivals of Sauri's vicious son Oki (Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq), and his two cronies, Pittiulak (Luke Taqqaugaq) and Patak (Alex Uttak), especially because Atanarjuat and Oki both covet the lovely Atuat (Sylvia Ivalu). Her father has promised her to Oki, but she prefers Atanarjuat. Atanarjuat's open flirtation with Atuat soon culminates in a head-punching competition, in accordance with Inuit customs. The two men stand toe-to-toe and alternate planting uncontested punches on one-another's cheekbone. Tungajuaq, the evil spirit, aids Oki, but Panikpak summons the spirit of her murdered husband to tip the balance of the contest in Atanarjuat's favor. Atanarjuat thus gains both Atuat and Oki's undying hatred.

When Atanarjuat next goes hunting for caribou, Atuat is pregnant with child. Atanarjuat will need female companionship for the hunt and is urged to take a second wife. When he stops at the camp of Oki, he is urged to take Oki's sensual but devious and lazy sister, Puja (Lucy Tulugarjuk). Puja's flirtatiousness is more than Atanarjuat can resist. When Atanarjuat later returns home with both Puja and his caribou kill, Puja proves to be a disruptive influence in the camp because she is unwilling to do her share of the work. Atanarjuat and his brother Amaqjuaq share a communal tent, during the hunting season, with both Atuat and Puja and Amaqjuaq's wife, Uluriaq (Neeve Irngaut). One night, Amaqjuaq and Puja end up doing the bump-and-grind during the night, possibly inadvertently (it's a crowded sleeping arrangement with Puja between the two men). Whatever the reason, this incestuous infidelity breaks one of the most sacred taboos among the Inuit. Uluriaq is distraught and Atanarjuat sends Puja packing, back to her father. Puja misrepresents the situation to her family, saying, "My husband tried to kill me. I didn't do anything." Puja's angry father, Sauri, goads his son Oki into finally taking the action that he had threatened years ago against Tulimaq's sons: to kill them.

FROM HERE TO THE END OF THE STORY SYNOPSIS, THERE ARE SEVERAL SPOILERS, BUT MY PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION, FOR THIS PARTICULAR FILM, IS TO KNOW THE STORY OF THE LEGEND BEFORE WATCHING THE FILM. OTHERWISE, IT IS DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW. KNOWING THE PLOT IN ADVANCE WILL ALLOW YOU TO GET MORE OUT OF THE ETHNOGRAPHIC ELEMENTS OF THE FILM. KUNUK BEGINS THIS FILM WITH THE COMMENT: "I CAN ONLY SAY THIS STORY TO SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS IT."

Oki's plan is to lure the women away from Atanarjuat's camp and kill the brothers as they sleep. Puja is made to return to her husband, feigning contriteness, but with the real intent of drawing the wives of the brothers out on an egg-gathering mission. The two men fall asleep in the tent after a long day of hunting. Oki and his two henchmen sneak up on the tent and drive their spears through the tent walls repeatedly. Amaqjuaq is murdered but Atanarjuat manages to escape and flee, though buck-naked. The three killers pursue Atanarjuat across the frozen tundra, but are unable to catch "The Fast One." At one point, Atanarjuat must hurtle across an open expanse of water or be caught, but the spirit of Kumaglak aids him.

Atararjuat runs a great distance. His feet are bleeding and he suffers from severe hypothermia. Finally, he encounters an unfamiliar dwelling. It is the home of the long-exiled Qulitalik and his family. Qulitalik hides the naked Atararjuat under some leaves, just before Oki arrives with his associates and a dog team. When he is satisfied that Atararjuat is not there, Oki and his group leave. Qulitalik gradually nurses Atararjuat back to health, both physically and spiritually. Qulitalik realizes that it is through Atararjuat that he must help his sister Panikpak restore the goodness of his old community. Atararjuat recovers physically, but is stalked by the evil spirit who sends false visions to torment him spiritually. It is only through Kumaglak's rabbit foot that Atararjuat finds protection.

Meanwhile, back in Igloolik, Oki murders his own father, Sauri, so that he can have his way with Atuat, whom he rapes with the aid of his companions. The disgusted Panikpak urges Atuat to swallow her shame and be patient. As pressure mounts on Atuat to submit to marriage with Oki, Panikpak summons her brother, Qulitalik, to come to their aid. Qultalki and Atararjuat return to Igloolik with an audacious plan. First, Qulitalik sends a charmed rabbit that pacifies Oki, when he has cooked and eaten it. Atarajuat arrives and reclaims his first wife, Atuat, while humiliating the treacherous Puja. Then Atarajuat builds a special igloo with a slanted and slippery floor of ice. Atarajuat lures Oki and his two henchmen into the igloo for a feast of caribou meet. Outside the igloo, Atarajuat attaches a pair of specially carved caribou claws to his boots and enters the igloo with a caribou spear. With the superior footing afforded by the caribou spikes, Atarajuat is able to subdue all three of his opponents. Atarajuat stops short of killing the three, however, declaring that it is time to restore the good spirit of the community.

That night, the tribe gathers in the ceremonial igloo and summons the return of the evil spirit that had initiated their troubles. With the combined effort of the elder siblings, Qulitalik and Panikpak, the evil shaman is driven away, disappearing into nothingness. The four guilty members of the tribe, Oki, Patak, Pittiulak, and Puja, are banished forever. The little son of Atarajuat and Atuat, named Kumaglak after the murdered leader, enters the igloo and, speaking in the old man's voice, asks Panikpak to sing her dead husband's old favorite song, as all the remaining members of the clan celebrate.

Themes: Patricide isn't nice. If you really must do it, it's probably best not to have any sons of your own.

Production Values: The screenplay was based on a novel by Paul Apak Angilirq (1954-1998), which was in turn based on an ancient Inuit legend. This is the first feature film about the Inuit people since the classic silent film Nanook of the North, directed by Robert J. Flaherty in 1922. One of the wonders of cinema is the ability of movies to acquaint us with cultures and epochs other than our own. Certainly this film accomplishes that very effectively. Here's a chance to immerse yourself in a magnificent culture that you'll probably never experience firsthand. What you get in addition to an Iliad-like epic story of mythic proportions is an opportunity to live for a few hours with the customs, clothing, and beliefs of one of the least spoiled of aboriginal cultures.

The screenwriters have provided a script with rich characters who exhibit the same range of good and bad characteristics that are found in the so-called "civilized" world, including duplicity, jealousy, care-taking, envy, love, and sexual infidelity. What the script does not provide is the kind of clarity of storyline or character introductions that we usually expect and demand of films. You will find yourself confused about the characters and what is happening, especially during the film's first hour or so.

This film was shot entirely with a digital camera both because there are no processing labs in the far north and because subzero temperatures can raise havoc with film stock. The photography has a documentary-like feel, providing plenty of focus on details of everyday life, such as food preparation or the scraping of fat from caribou hides. The entire movie was shot on location in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Much time is spent in the interior of the igloos, complete with smoky atmospheres and oil lamp lighting. Outdoors, we experience the starkness and vastness of the terrain, the glistening of the snow, and even feel the subtle progression of the arctic seasons. The images are brighter but less colorful, on average, than what one experiences in most films because of the predominance of shiny white in the backgrounds. Travel is limited to walking, running, or dogsleds. The crew was composed of 90% Inuit people. At the film's end, as the credits are rolling, you can get a good idea of how difficult it was to make this film, as the crew are shown doing their work under the freezing conditions. The soundtrack is excellent, providing wolf howls, Inuit songs, and much more.

The cast was composed entirely of Inuit people, some professional actors and many nonprofessionals. Standout performances included Natar Ungalaaq as Atanarjuat, Pakak Innuksuk as his brother, Sylvia Ivalu as Atuat, Lucy Tulugarjuk as the treacherous Puja, Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq as the mean-spirited Oki, and Madeline Ivalu as the elderly Panikpak.

Bottom-Line: The Lot 47 DVD of this film provides a digitally mastered anamorphic presentation in widescreen format, with Inuktitut 5.1 audio. The only extra is the theatrical trailer. There is scene access, with twenty-eight chapter breaks. It's a long film, at 161 minutes. Viewers with an interest in experiencing other cultures will certainly enjoy this film. It also has some good action sequences, but the film's length will prove troublesome for viewers with limited attention span and the lack of clarity in the plot will trouble some others. I'm giving this film high marks because of its originality. You really won't find any other film very much like it. The closest equivalent to it, in my experience, would be the Finnish film, Pathfinder (1987). I'm deducting one star from the maximum possible because of weaknesses in narrative clarity.


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You might want to check out these other excellent films from Canada:

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
The Barbarian Invasions
Boys of St. Vincent
The Decline of the American Empire
Exotica
Felicia's Journey
The Hanging Garden
The Sweet Hereafter

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age