Atanarjuat : The Fast Runner

I watched the most amazing film today. It is an epic, to be sure, about three hours long. It is filmed in Igloolik, Canada completely in the Inuktitut language. The Fast Runner is an Inuit legend filled with intertwining Shakespearean themes of romantic rivalry, deceit, murder, infidelity and retribution -just like Titus Andronicus - but far less bloody and gruesome -except for the foot scene...

The Fast Runner is striking on every level. Visually, it is filmed in a way that is does not suggest film, video or tv...the camera work and lighting really envelope you and you feel as if you are witnessing the action. What what natural light they had to work with! The score is kept to a minimum, with most of the sound effects being the wind, or panting of the sled dogs, or the crunch of snow and ice underfoot. At many moments in this film, I was aware of my heart pounding quicker...there was a strange uneasiness and suspense generated in the film. And these people rarely, if ever, yell or scream. They take their punishment silently. The images of the naked race across the ice, and the physical toll it takes are indelible. As are the images of day to day life - the frozen meat being pounded against rocks with an antler tool - and the British have nothing on these folks when it comes to dental hygiene.

I think this review sums it up pretty well:

Desson Howe, Washington Post"The Fast Runner is the kind of primal storytelling that George Lucas can only dream of. This epic has been chipped from the frigid ice of ages past, ignited by the spirit of Joseph Campbell and fanned into a roaring fire by Inuit writer Paul Apak Angilirq. It’s an experience that will stay with you for a long time. Unadulterated, free-flowing magic. The performers, dressed in furs, skins and beads, their faces marked with beautiful tattoos, their souls spilling over with passion, are so authentic, so True North, you're reduced to wordless awe. The Fast Runner stirs the soul."

Immerse yourself in this film. You will not forget it.

p.s. One of my all-time favorite links comes from the film's promo website...it is a link to the weather in Igloolik...something which I compulsively check now....