[mookiemifune]

I just saw a fantastic movie today: Ataranjuat the Fast Runner. It's about a tight Inuit community in Northern Canada, and the struggle of it's people over two generations. It's beautifully shot with great performances, and the day to day life of the hardworking Inuit people can be felt. There's a somewhat conventional plot surrounding murder and redemption, but don't let that stop you from watching this film. Don't let the long running time (160 minutes) deter you either, the movie goes by in a flash. There are some memorable scenes, such as *MILD SPOILERS* a face punching fight between Oki, the tribes leaders' son; and Ataranjuat over a girl. Another memorable scene is Ataranjuat running naked over snow, through ice and glaciers freezing his bare *** off. Stick around for the credits and watch how they filmed that scene.*SPOILER ENDS*

If this movie is playing in your town or city, definately catch it.
**** out of ****

[glen_esq]

I gave a little rave about this film the other day in the GD forum. This is the best Cdn movie I've ever seen (faint praise?), and one of the best new films I've seen in the past year. Enjoyed myself at this movie as much as Gosford Park and In the Bedroom.

The storyline (just who is related to whom) is a little difficult to follow at the beginning of the movie, but once past that I was spell bound. What a wonderful movie.

I was glad I caught this on the big screen, the sweeping arctic vistas I think are best viewed this way.

One thing I thought was interesting there was no music for a good long way into the film, I thought to myself - there ain't going to be any music at all in this film! 45 min (?) into the film traditional music of various kinds plays, and works very well, beautifully well I thought.

*spoiler*
The chase across the ice was fantastic, and the face punching match you mentioned was rather unique.

I don't know quite how to describe the style of the film, another reason I liked it so much, it's simply filmed I suppose is one thing that stands out about it. Dialogue/conversation is limited compared to most films, the Inuit aren't verbose, actions in the Arctic is what counts, even small acts in the Arctic have serious consequences. I somehow thought it was as if Kurosawa had made Quest for Fire.

*****/*****

[Bjoonstar]

This is a great movie! I was not expecting something this good when I walked into the theater. It has great cinematography, even if it is low budget and shot on video. the story(however conventional)was great, and the characters had alot of depth to them. I hate to say it, but most Canadian films are no good. but that is not the case here. A very human story, from a cultural perspective that we had most likely never seen before.


I really enjoyed this one.


It won 6 Genie awards including Best Picture, and it also won the Camera D'or prize at Cannes.




Bjoon

[Cassius Bean]

I finally got a chance to see this film as well. This is really a stunning cinematic achievement on two fronts.

First, it’s a fantastic movie in its own right. I didn’t find the storyline conventional at all. It’s a story that has been circulating through the Inuit people’s oral tradition for centuries about the unification of tribes and the end of a cycle of violence, filmed for the first time. Anyone interested in comparative mythology will find tons of content to contemplate. An aspect of the movie that I found interesting is the lack of any historical context—the people depicted could be ancient or they could be the current ancestors who still live in Canada’s arctic (although the lack of guns and snowmobiles tip the scales toward a time period sometime before this century). I loved that what appears to be a snazzy pair of Ray Bans in the movie poster turns out to be some sort of protective eyewear carved out of bone.

Second, as an artifact this is truly important stuff. It’s the first ever feature movie telling the stories of the Inuit people created entirely by the Inuit people. The language they are speaking was all but dead, (but now making a come back). Many of the practices depicted reproduce nearly extinct traditions. Like a few other posters, I went to this movie expecting something pretty rough around the edges. But it was as sophisticated a film as I’ve seen in the past few years.

I saw scenes in this movie unlike anything I have ever viewed before. (The mentioned face-punching scene (don’t know what else to call it) is a knock out, as are all the scenes shot inside the igloos, the pursuit scene is unforgettable, and where else are you ever going to see an Inuit sex scene?) It is also frequently very funny. And the lack of anyone that remotely resembles a Hollywood actor is really very refreshing. Those icicles hanging off the tips of everyone's noses are the real deal folks, not makeup. I will agree with glen_esq that the first 15 minutes or so are a bit hard to figure out (who’s that? What’s he doing?) but it clears up pretty quickly.


I can’t recommend this movie enough. If Atanarjuat The Fast Runner comes anywhere near your community, go see it.

Can’t agree with the bashing of Canadian movie in this thread though. I know where you guys are coming from, but I still think that Canadian filmmaking is far from as bad as it is sometimes made out to be.

[mookiemifune]

I've noticed that everyone who's posted is from Canada (myself included), and I hope that the movie is playing elsewhere as well. I don't know if it's playing overseas yet, or if it will at all, but I hope that people won't get the idea that it's a movie about Eskimo's and ice fishing. I think that anybody from any walk of life can get something out of this movie. All you non-Canadians out there who think Canadian movies suck, check out The Fast Runner!

[Vlad B]

What's the name of the distributor? Any chance of a DVD release any time soon?

Nice to hear that it has only traditional music, not the usual "full orchestra" treatment...

[Cassius Bean]

Originally posted by mookiemifune
I've noticed that everyone who's posted is from Canada (myself included), and I hope that the movie is playing elsewhere as well. I don't know if it's playing overseas yet, or if it will at all, but I hope that people won't get the idea that it's a movie about Eskimo's and ice fishing. I think that anybody from any walk of life can get something out of this movie. All you non-Canadians out there who think Canadian movies suck, check out The Fast Runner!

I have no real idea, but I would guess that it will get a limited US release in major urban centers maybe next year. It seems to me that Crash got a similar release. First at Cannes, then a theatrical release a few months later in Canada and maybe 6 monts to a year later in the US.

I found it a bit hard to take though that with Ataranjuat there was a full 10 months between its festival and theatrical release. I also don't think is was screened at the Toronto Film Festival (might be wrong, but I don't remember it on the program).

[glen_esq]

Cassius - about how many people were at the showing you attended?

I counted 6 people in the 200+ seat theatre for an evening show when I saw the film, and the film had only just opened the week before!

Film had no legs at all here.

[baaab]

I would commit genocide to see this movie RIGHT NOW. Canadians are soooo lucky. However, I am skipping school on June 6 to see it at the Seattle Film Festival... but that means I have to wait... Goddamnit! 6 people in a 200 seat theater! If I was Canadian you can trust that number would be 7!

[Cassius Bean]

glen, I'd say about a dozen people in a smallish theater, but it was a Monday night. You're right, it's like pulling teeth to convince people that this is something they might be interested in.

I saw y tu mama tambien (is that the right spelling) right before it on the same screen. Only 3 people (three!) in the theater.

[stork-lor]

Saw it last Thursday in a 50 seat room (the oddest Odeon cineplex room I've ever seen, must just be for limited release fare). About 9 people in the room, me and my wife included. Too bad; this film is incredible, and clearly one of the best Canadian films to come down the pipe in a sled dog's age.

I also agree with the first 15 or 20 minutes being a little hard to follow... I think part of it simply has to do with not immediately being able to tell everyone apart! But once you're acclimatized to the pacing of the story (appropriately glacial, save for a few sequences) and the sparsity of dialog (which really complements the sparse, wide open look of the surroundings), you just become immersed in a fabulous, epic myth... a love story / murder, revenge, and redemption fable, not altogether too different from "Hamlet", actually.

The acting is uniformly excellent, and the minimal use of music once again goes a long way towards evoking the minimal ancient Inuit lifestyle. If there is any flaw, it's in a few cinematography / editing flubs that break the spell, but I have a feeling that these are more due to the lack of a large budget... to be expected from any Canadian film, especially an Inuit one.

And it's been said before, and must be said again: the ice running sequence is truly mind-blowing. If that's not the bravest damn bit of acting I see all year, I'll eat my hat.

Wow... "Fast Runner", "Men With Brooms", and "Ginger Snaps"... the last 3 Canuck films I've seen have all been **** out of **** .... now if only the Habs had beaten Carolina...