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The
Fast Runner/Atanarjuat,
2001, 172 minutes, Not Rated
By Andie Davis
About
two-thirds of the way through "The Fast Runner/Atanarjuat,"
Zacharias Kunuk's stunning film based on ancient Inuit legend, a few
things occur to you:
(1) this could be the best $10 you'll spend all
summer;
(2) you'll never, ever again complain about 90-degree
temperatures; and
(3) from the waist up, at least, Inuit guys are
kinda hot.
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So much hype has
preceded the arrival of this movie, with its truckload of awards and
critics all over spurting superlatives through their lattes, that
you'd be forgiven for wondering if anything could really be this good.
I mean, groundbreaking, epic, a masterpiece?
Yes, yep and HELL yeah!
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For one thing, with its all-Inuit cast
from the Canadian Arctic island of Igloolik, "Atanarjuat" is
the first film directed, produced, written and performed entirely by
Inuit. Get it? An Inuit team, recording its own history, in its own
voice, for its own consumption - not "as told to" Wendy
Wide-Eyed-Anthropology- Grad - Student and not "as seen on"
National Geographic. 100% FIBI: For Inuit By Inuit.
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But don't write this one off as mere
historic trivia. Check out the plot, twisted as anything this side of
"The Odyssey." A mysterious evil shaman stirs up trouble in
a tight-knit Igloolik community. Two generations later, Atanarjuat (a
gently compelling Natar Ungalaaq) has a score to settle with murderous
brat Oki (Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq, surely the North Pole's finest, give
or take some dental work) from a rival family. As with all guy-guy
beef, there's a woman around somewhere. Turns out Oki was promised the
hand of comely Atuat (Sylvia Ivalu), but she's been eyeing Atanarjuat
all along - and the feeling's mutual. Meanwhile, Oki's skettel sister
Puja (the fun, radiant Lucy Tulugarjuk) schemes her way into
Atanarjuat's igloo, only to be shown the exit when she busts a move -
wait, wait - on Atanarjuat's brother! Things get nastier, whup-assier,
until everyone finally learns some very important lessons. (Lessons
abound for you too, urban slacker, such as how to build an igloo and
the many uses of seal blubber. You neeeever know.)
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Like most timeworn legends, "Atanarjuat"
relies on stock figures to get its point across (strong guy, bad guy,
nice girl, bad girl, wise elder, mystic). Beneath the surface,
however, director Kunuk and his actors infuse their nuances. There's
some clumsy foreshadowing early on, but on the whole it's refreshing
not to have the narrative announce itself, summer blockbuster style,
with the usual ham-fistedness. The cast turns in a uniformly powerful,
understated performance, but the true diva here is the landscape: it's
impossible not to be awed by the Arctic's boundless majesty, one of
Earth's last unconquerable spaces. Its influence is felt in every
aspect of the film, from the patient, deliberate pacing to the rugged
hand-held photography, the whooshing winds and crunching snows of the
unembellished soundtrack. These elements combine so well that by the
time Atanarjuat exposes the family jewels in a spellbinding chase
sequence, you'll feel like you're the one at risk of pubic frostbite.
Of course, much of the movie's appeal is in the
thrill of a rare glimpse into this world, a glimpse with something for
everyone. Travel buffs will take a second look at the Igloolik Hilton.
Foodies and animal lovers will cringe at how much caribou tartar can
be put away without salt, garlic or that reassuring "no animals
were harmed during filming" disclaimer. People-watchers will
marvel at the range of expression possible through the confines of
clothing and a hostile environment. And speaking of gear, ghetto-fab
fashionistas will line up to trade their Pradas for some of those
Inuit bearskin drawers, coming any day now to a Sean John catwalk near
you…
Not bad for a picture made for less than $2
million, eh? The Canadian government waved off this project initially,
citing its policy of capping "Aboriginal" film funding at
$100,000. "Atanarjuat" has since gone on to become one of
Canada's highest-grossing films. Oops. Hollywood androids, you
listening? Sometimes a story just needs to be worth telling to get
told well.
M
June 2002
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