Movies

scarletwoman

(31,893 posts) Sat Jan 18, 2014, 12:05 AM Jan 2014

Okay, obscure movie buffs, who has seen "The Fast Runner"?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atanarjuat:_The_Fast_Runner

It was the first feature film ever to be written, directed and acted entirely in Inuktitut. Set in the ancient past, the film retells an Inuit legend passed down through centuries of oral tradition.

The film is set in Igloolik ("place of houses&quot

in the Eastern Arctic wilderness at the dawn of the first millennium.

This is an amazing, complex, visually stunning movie. To watch it, you must be willing to leave your "normal" reality aside, and allow yourself to be absorbed into a completely different culture.

This movie can be confusing, painfully slow-moving, and challenging on a number of levels. On the other hand, it's an incredibly rewarding experience - it left me absolutely awestruck.

4 replies

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Okay, obscure movie buffs, who has seen "The Fast Runner"? (Original Post) scarletwoman Jan 2014 OP

Truly Breathtaking Little_Wing Jan 2014 #1

Oh wow! I'm so delighted that someone else has seen this! scarletwoman Jan 2014 #2

Great movie! Paladin Jan 2014 #3

That's a wonderful way of putting it! scarletwoman Jan 2014 #4

Little_Wing

(417 posts)

1. Truly Breathtaking

Reply to scarletwoman (Original post)

Sat Jan 18, 2014, 12:20 AM

Jan 2014

Thanks for the heads-up! I need to watch this again. It was a complete immersion in an unfamiliar culture.

scarletwoman

(31,893 posts)

2. Oh wow! I'm so delighted that someone else has seen this!

Reply to Little_Wing (Reply #1)

Sat Jan 18, 2014, 12:41 AM

Jan 2014

Yes, "complete immersion in an unfamiliar culture" is exactly right. And it's a truly rewarding immersion if you're willing to give in to it.

I found out about this movie by doing a search for movies with Northern themes a few years ago - I had never heard of it. I was looking for something different and unusual, and this certainly was!

Anyway, I ordered the DVD as soon as I came across it, and I found it absolutely haunting. Shortly afterward, we had a family gathering with my then 84-year-old dad and I brought the DVD along and we all watched it together - my dad, my sisters and their partners, and my youngest son. Everyone was just blown away.

I'm so grateful that I found this by chance, it's such a rich experience.

Paladin

(28,723 posts)

3. Great movie!

Reply to scarletwoman (Original post)

Sat Jan 18, 2014, 07:52 PM

Jan 2014

It's like three Shakespearian plays slammed together in a stunningly beautiful arctic setting. Highly recommended.

scarletwoman

(31,893 posts)

4. That's a wonderful way of putting it!

Reply to Paladin (Reply #3)

Sat Jan 18, 2014, 08:14 PM

Jan 2014

three Shakespearian plays slammed together

I like that.

And, yes, that arctic setting - I could watch it just for scenery alone.

I loved learning how people lived in that sort of environment. Just an amazing film, all the way around.

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