The Fast Runner: Inuit Bliss

orget the galaxy far, far away; forget spiderwebs in the streets of New York; forget the alien landing strips in rural Pennsylvania; and please forget would-be spies with mojo--the real action this summer took place in a region of the world few of us have ever seen outside the pages of National Geographic. The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat was produced by and set among the native people of northern Canada, but its story is timeless--an epic tale of love and deceit that most Hollywood directors can only dream of creating.

A mysterious evil has beset a small community of Inuit, manifesting itself in the leader's son, Oki. Two brothers, Atanarjuat and Amaqjuaq, are pitted against this evil force when Atanarjuat wins away Oki's bride, Atuat. The vengeful Oki manages to kill Amaqjuaq, but his brother escapes on foot across the icy plains in a legendary scene that ranks among the most memorable in recent film history. The ensuing struggle plays out like the best Shakespearian drama: Tragedy seems inevitable as a tightly-bound group of characters becomes ever more entangled in a web of lies and jealousy.

But what separates this film from so many others is just how intensely character-driven it is. One becomes acutely aware over the course of The Fast Runner of how important human closeness is to the Inuit people, and indeed how relatively unimportant it has become to most of us. In a land where one must wear many layers of hide from head to foot for most of the year, a mittenless hand advancing underneath another's parka becomes an almost sacred event in winter and is too strong of an image to be taken lightly even by our jaded eyes. The closeness of a full igloo at night would be any claustrophobic's nightmare, but few environments in or out of a darkened cinema better portray real human interaction.

To create the timeless and often mythic quality of The Fast Runner, director Zacharias Kunuk set the film in an ambiguous era of Inuit history. Ironically, though, this is a movie whose scope would not have been complete without the use of handheld cameras and digital technology. At times, we feel as if we are watching a documentary, and the ease with which the actors move in their surroundings serves only to complete the experience of the film. It is nearly impossible to be disappointed by The Fast Runner, and its haunting imprint will not quickly fade into the northern sky.