Canadian cinema is rarely acknowledged in a global scale. While there are notable films from Canada such as "Bon Cop, Bad Cop" or "Videodrome", they don't get the critical or financial success that an international film will need to gain global attention. However, one film managed to get everyone's attention. Although it wasn't a huge hit at the box office or even selected to be an Oscar contender, the critical praise it got from notable critics and winning awards at the Cannes film festival made sure that this film will be regarded as the proudest achievement in Canadian film. Atarnarjuat is about the titular character who lives in the community of Igloolik, Nunavut, whose greatest skill is his remarkable speed and stamina. When his marriage with two wives starts to get rocky, the son of the chieftain, Oki, decides to ambush him and kill his brother in an attempt to take one of his wives to himself, leading to Atarnarjuat to survive and figure out what must be done in order to end the conflict and tension amongst the people. While this film mostly takes the concept in a grounded nature, the filmmakers also added some Inuit mythology in order to bend reality a bit with the inclusion of an evil shaman who acts as an inner demon amongst some of the characters. It sounds odd, but the film actually benefits from the mythical element, since the film still makes the story flow naturally. The film however doesn't really focus too much on the story too much though. The runtime clocks in at almost three hours, but the story moves at a snail's pace and instead focuses on the culture of the Inuit people, which I admire. I love seeing how these people had to live and survive back hundreds of years ago in the barren tundra. It's simply fascinating.
I'm not going to focus too much on the actors and characters, since all of the actors do a fantastic job by performing as their people. The actors were all Inuit and speak Inuktitut throughout the film. Hearing this language being spoken is very refreshing as it's not very present in the overall Canadian culture outside of the territories. Even if you choose not to put any subtitles at all, you can still figure out the characters in the film with great detail due to the physical performances of these actors. From Atarnarjuat's devotion to his loved one, Oki's bitter rage towards Atarnarjuat, Puja's brattiness for her desires, Panikpak's wise old elder figure, and the list goes on. Overall, the characters are brought to life, thanks to the actors that chose to be a part of the film.
Zacharias Kunuk masterfully directs the film with all of his effort paying off. He captures the vision he set out with that resonated with the viewer. He manages to capture the empty, but beautiful landscape of Nunavut with camerawork that brings the audience to this scenery with the shaky handheld movement. The unpolished footage makes the film feel almost documentary-like, despite the events being entirely fictional. The score by Chris Crilly is executed perfectly. The use of throat singing and music that fits in with the Inuit culture is a refreshing and necessary choice for the film that gives off a unique audio experience when watching the film, helped out by the local language. The most notable scene of the film is when Atarnarjuat is running away from his attackers, wearing absolutely nothing. The sweeping cinematography and score makes this a very powerful moment, with the actor giving extreme devotion to his work. Given the troubles the filmmakers had to go through with finances and filming in general, their hard work is celebrated with the finished product being the best it can be.
The Fast Runner is one of those films everyone must see once in their life due to what the product represents. From its fantastic directing, acting, cinematography, musical score, and managing to dive deep in the Inuit culture, it is a film unlike any other. Even though the explicit sexual nature and runtime might scare some away, it shouldn't and is in fact justified due to how human the characters are, as well as the time period the film is set in. It is a very important film for Canadian cinema, those that are in love with movies in general, and representation of Indigenous culture as a whole. It will surely go down as a classic as the years move on.
Verdict: 10/10. A brilliant, one-of-a-kind film that can't be replicated in its field. Watch it if you want to call yourself a film buff.
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