| The
Review: |
"The Fast Runner" is the type of
movie that I just don't get, a reminder that while I tend
to consider myself a fairly knowledgeable critic about the
intentions of filmmakers in their films, there is at least
one or two out of the year's productions that completely baffle
me. Zacharius Kunuk's film is one of them, an endurance test
if there ever was one that bitchslaps its viewers with nearly
three hours of sheer boredom from painful beginning to tortorous
end. His attempts to bring us into the world of the Inuit
people and their daily lives are fruitless and haphazard to
say the least; if his goal were more along the lines of creating
an alternative to Sominex or Nytol, he gets my vote for an
Honorary Oscar. ***
The story centers around the legend
of an evil spirit whose purpose is to bring troubled times
to the Inuit people of the Canadian Arctic, but that's beside
the point for the moment. The central focus of the story is
Atanarjuat (Natar Ungalaaq), the member of this small community
who falls in love with Atuat (Sylvia Ivalu); there's a wrench
in their relationship in that she's been promised to the clan
leader's son, Oki (Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq), who later plots
revenge when she is ultimately won over by Atanarjuat. While
our hero is able to escape, he must overcome the conditions
of the Arctic alone while at the same gathering the courage
to return and free his people from the curse. ***
This could have easily been a 90-minute
film, or even two hours, for that matter. But director Kunuk
stretches the proceedings to a whopping 161-minute running
time, draining the viewer of any alertness they may have walked
into the film with while simultaneously expunging the material
of any intrigue or emotional connection. It's awfully difficult
to get a grasp on what he is trying to do with the piece:
not once did I care about any of the Inuit people or their
ordeals, nor was I particularly attentive to their culture
(if I wanted that, I'd watch National Geographic). Long and
plodding time spent with these characters doesn't necessarily
merit the rewards of understanding them on deeper levels;
in the end, I was all-too-ready to call it quits with this
laborious mess. ***
Even the film's visual displays
of arctics vistas are disappointing. Shot completely in digital
video in an apparent attempt to evoke a sense of realism,
this method of filmmaking just does not capture the majesty
of the landscape in the way that a standard photography process
would. The film feels cramped when it should feel liberated,
and moves at the speed of an iceberg in the Arctic ocean.
There are those who will warm to "The Fast Runner" for its
artsy intentions and grandeur; for me, it was an ordeal I
can only hope to soon forget.
|
| Image
and Sound |
This is one of the better-looking
digital video transfers I've seen in a while. "The Fast Runner's"
1.85:1 ratio has been anamorphically enhanced and looks very
good throughout. The film's oft-bright appearance is virtually
free of any intruding blemishes: colors are nicely saturated
and textured, while contrast is enriched by solid blacks and
excellent shadow detail. Edges are very sharp, though there
tends to be a lot of enhancement halos throughout. The best
part of the presentation is that there is no film grain or
noise at all: everything is crystal clear and beautiful. ***
The Dolby Digital 5.1 is also quite
impressive. The score from Chris Crilly has been given a presence
all its own to stand alongside the visuals, with surround
usage and deep bass tendencies that are very powerful. Sound
effects are minimal, but what is here sounds just great. Dialogue
sounds natural and is centered throughout. Not a reference
quality track, but stands alone on its own terms.
|
