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The
Fast Runner
Atanarjuat
review by Carrie Gorringe, 21 June 2002
28th Seattle International Film
Festival Adapted from
Inuit legend by the late Paul Apak Angilirq, The Fast Runner
details the rivalry between the eponymous hero and the sinister Oki,
one so strong that it threatens to leave their tribes in a
vulnerable position against the need to survive in a landscape often
perceived by outsiders as both harsh and beautiful. Oki and
Atanrjuat are already rivals, Oki being contemptuous of the latter's
lack of skills' despite the fact that Atanrjuat has a gift of
incalculable value: the ability to run faster than anyone else in
the tribe. The first clash, however, begins when Atanrjuat wins the
right to marry Oki's intended. From there, the film progresses
through the realms of adultery, murder and ambition, climaxing in
the inevitable showdown between the two men; at one critical point
in the film, the utility of Atanrjuat's skills are conveyed in a
series of chase sequences crafted with a subtle yet powerful
precision that wrings out every available drop of tension. Director
Zacharias Kunuk carefully captures this atmosphere in pastel and
golden hues, revealing the beauty under the rawness of the tundra.
If Runner brings to mind
Robert Flaherty's 1921 documentary, Nanook of the North, any
thoughts of such a comparison should be immediately dismissed.
Flaherty's depiction of Inuit life, however revolutionary the
attempt to capture it on film at that time, reeks of a patronizing
and racist mindset concerning "noble" (read: "simple") savages (an
attitude which was, of course, not exclusive to Flaherty at this
time). By contrast, Kunuk and Angilirq's Inuits are far from simple:
as noted earlier, all of them possess fully-rounded personalities,
capable of committing irrational actions to satisfy themselves
despite the risks to the other members of the tribe. The filmmakers
have mounted a skillfully-crafted psychological trajectory for
Atanrjuat as he emerges from innocent simplicity through cruelty on
the way to mourning, maturity and redemption in a way that always
engages the audience, even at a running time of 168 minutes (further
credit goes also to Natar Ungalaaq's remarkable performance in the
title role). Expect it to be a contender for a Best Foreign Film
Academy Award.
Seattle International Film Festival
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Directed
by:
Zacharias Kunuk
Starring:
Natar Ungalaaq
Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq
Sylvia Ivalu
Rated:
NR - Not Rated.
This film has not yet
been rated.
FULL CREDITS
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