Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner(2001)
dir. Zacharias Kunuk
An Inuit legend, told by Inuit, in Inuktitut.
Where to watch: Rent on Apple TV, $3.99 (JustWatch US; only US option found)Letterboxd ↗
A legend passed down in the Arctic for generations: an evil spirit divides a camp, and a young man, Atanarjuat, runs naked across the ice to escape the men who want him dead. Zacharias Kunuk shot it in Igloolik with Inuit actors and Inuit elders advising, in Inuktitut. It was the first feature written, directed and acted entirely in the language, and it won the Caméra d'Or at Cannes.
Why it’s here
The film tells an Inuit story as Inuit tell it, at Inuit speed. What's punk is that it refuses outsider pacing and explanation. What's pedagogical is seeing how a community deals with a crime and a feud without police or prisons. It runs nearly three hours and has some violence. Companion to Whale Rider and Once Were Warriors.
Where This Film Lives
- Setting
- Canada
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