Review of Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2002) by Jason M — 05 Feb 2016

Acting? Who's acting? We have gone back 1,000 years with a time machine and had the unique privilege to "chill" (intentional pun) with the medieval Inuit. The genuineness of this production feels real. This could never be done in Hollywood.

I wonder how Steven Spielberg would react to watching this film, as it is the antithesis of his being. I suspect he could give the producers and directors many valuable production tips and filming techniques that could have provided a better end product. However, this may have come at a cost of the film's bare authenticity. I also believe Spielberg would smile while watching this film and would actually influence him, if that could even be possible at this stage of his career.

The closest attempt for the big studios to depict genuine early civilization was Quest For Fire, despite plotlines that are separated by tens of thousands of years. However, even Quest For Fire felt somewhat Hollywood-ish.

A unique, low budget, historical Canadian film set in what is today the territory of Nunavat. This must be the greatest Canadian Aboriginal film of all time. It is the 1st film ever to be written, acted and directed by Inuit. It is also spoken in the Inuit language, and has subtitles. It portrays a old Inuit story passed down through the centuries. The fascinating part of this film is that this is a very realistic portrayal of how a group of Inuit families lived 1,000 years ago. The depiction is honest and historically accurate. The desolation of their environment is as equally fascinating.

As a Canadian, this film is especially interesting to me because it represents a historical snapshot of a period and place that has been portrayed rarely, if ever. The film could not have been made if it wasn't for the financial assistance of the governments, as it is not a typical commercial venture that relies on the studio and marketing machine of Hollywood, Bollywood and similar production networks.

This may be difficult for most audiences to watch, due to the low budget camera work alone. It is long. The acting is honest. This doesn't feel like watching a film at all. It seems as though the viewer is simply an observer to general everyday going ons in the Arctic with the Inuit 1,000 years ago. It could have been 10 hours long and felt the same way. The film will help educate foreigners on how integral the seal hunt was to early Inuit for survival and why it is embedded into our Canadian culture, notwithstanding its necessity today. It makes you wonder and respect how incredible it is that the early Inuit could live in such a cold and desolate environment. .