The Fast Runner is an epic tale of love, family, jealousy and revenge set in the Canadian Arctic. Atuat is promised to Oki, son of the leader of their tribe. But Atuat loves Atanarjuat, who works hard with his brother Amaqjuaq to provide for the entire group. Atanarjuat wins Atuat's hand in competition, making Oki even more angry and intensifying his jealousy. The tensions boil over into a murderous rage on a hunting expedition. Amaqjuaq is brutally blugeoned to death in his tent by Oki and his gang while Atanarjuat flees, naked, across the snow and ice, surely to die.
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There are some supernatural elements in the film dealing with Inuit belief in the spirits and their ability to affect circumstances of the living.
The film is, at times, extremely violent and bloody. It does give viewers a keyhole into an alien way of life, but the emotions and themes are universal.
The Fast Runner is the first made in the Inuktitut language and with an-almost-all Inuit cast and crew.
The review of this Movie prepared by ldpaulson
This is the first Inuit-made film, starring Inuit unknowns, entirely in the Inuktitut language, and a truly unique piece of work it is. Based on an ancient Inuit legend, it tells the story of two brothers plagued by an evil spirit that infests a neighboring family/tribe. The tale is of mythic proportions, involving murder, rape, betrayal, revenge/justice, and just a little bit of magic mixed in. The arctic light and landscape has a stark beauty all its own, and the viewer is treated to a good look at the traditional life of the Inuit people: hunting, igloo building, duels, celebrations. (Vegetarians will find all the raw meat cut and eaten on camera much tougher to stomach than the violence or sex.) At just under 3 hours, it's long for the average American moviegoer, but well-suited to the story it has to tell. If you settle in to its rhythm and pace, you'll have a movie experience like no other.
The review of this Movie prepared by David Loftus
