For all of you "Atanarjuat" fans out there I have a challenge for you. It's called "The Journals of Knud Rasmussen," and it excels in all the ways "Atanarjuat" was only mediocre. Remember how you thought "Atanarjuat" was a little too flashy, a little too commercial, a little too Hollywood? Then I challenge you to watch this film and tell me it's a good one . . . because it isn't. For two hours it beat me into submission to the point that I was begging for the end credits. The scene in the theater was more interesting than what was happening on the screen. I watched as about 30 people walked out and the old ladies on both sides on me dozed off.
What was wrong you ask? Well not everything, but almost. There is a plot buried deep in the Canadian snow here and it involves the first Christians who encountered the Inuit's. But instead of exploring that basically unexplored piece of history the filmmakers are content to sit in igloos and frolic in the snow. At one point we watch as a man sits and tells his entire life story to the camera. It goes on for about 15 minutes straight and worse yet he neglects to say one interesting thing. This tactic would be inexcusable in a regular documentary, but in this one, which pretends to be fictional, it really is a screw up. It would have been much better served to just say that it is a documentary on modern Inuit life. By promising a story and then not delivering you only work to alienate your audience. There are a few things to like here. The images of the Inuit's trying to be religious zealots were creepy and stark. I also liked the point that this film makes that often times Christians have been able to convert people because of their empty stomachs as opposed to great rhetorical skills. It is also a well know fact, historically speaking, that the white man usually leaves a place a worse place than he found it. The victims of this imperialism rarely care because the white man usually arrives carrying food. It is interesting that this film takes place in such a far off location that both sides come off looking like suckers.
More than anything, when the credits rolled I was celebrating. Anytime a film provides less entertainment value than my bedroom window it is in big trouble. Past violators such as "What Time is it There" and "Gerry" were ridiculously slow, but this one takes the cake. I know that "Eight Below" was pure unadulterated Hollywood, but it was such a better film. "The Journals of Knud Rasmussen" wore me down, and not in a good way. I consider myself to be a fairly savvy film appreciator, but if this film had real redeeming values then I missed them. These directors have given the film community a gift by shining a light on the Inuit community, but now they need to make an entertaining film. For without a reason to watch people will just doze off or walk away. *1/4
What was wrong you ask? Well not everything, but almost. There is a plot buried deep in the Canadian snow here and it involves the first Christians who encountered the Inuit's. But instead of exploring that basically unexplored piece of history the filmmakers are content to sit in igloos and frolic in the snow. At one point we watch as a man sits and tells his entire life story to the camera. It goes on for about 15 minutes straight and worse yet he neglects to say one interesting thing. This tactic would be inexcusable in a regular documentary, but in this one, which pretends to be fictional, it really is a screw up. It would have been much better served to just say that it is a documentary on modern Inuit life. By promising a story and then not delivering you only work to alienate your audience. There are a few things to like here. The images of the Inuit's trying to be religious zealots were creepy and stark. I also liked the point that this film makes that often times Christians have been able to convert people because of their empty stomachs as opposed to great rhetorical skills. It is also a well know fact, historically speaking, that the white man usually leaves a place a worse place than he found it. The victims of this imperialism rarely care because the white man usually arrives carrying food. It is interesting that this film takes place in such a far off location that both sides come off looking like suckers.
More than anything, when the credits rolled I was celebrating. Anytime a film provides less entertainment value than my bedroom window it is in big trouble. Past violators such as "What Time is it There" and "Gerry" were ridiculously slow, but this one takes the cake. I know that "Eight Below" was pure unadulterated Hollywood, but it was such a better film. "The Journals of Knud Rasmussen" wore me down, and not in a good way. I consider myself to be a fairly savvy film appreciator, but if this film had real redeeming values then I missed them. These directors have given the film community a gift by shining a light on the Inuit community, but now they need to make an entertaining film. For without a reason to watch people will just doze off or walk away. *1/4