Filed under: 2000's, Canadian, Cinematheque, Pilon, Benoit, Quebec, Ungalaaq, Natar
The Necessities of Life
dir Benoît Pilon
wri Bernard Émond
starring NATAR UNGALAAQ, also from the Fast Runner
2008
Cinematheque top 10 of 2008
seen Feb 2009 – with Pilon and Natar at the opening, to speak.
Ticket given to me by the lovely Michelle, who was going to Montreal to see her newborn nephew. What a foolish girl, to give up such a ticket, for a mere child.
Well, what can we say? The 8.2 is easily deserved. Bravo! Based on the true stories of a Tuberculous epidemic in the Canadian North in the 1950’s. Natar plays Tiivii, who is shipped south (literally) to be cured in Quebec city, but has no one there to speak his language. They bring a boy who does, later. The film has only a moment in Iqaluit (or rather outside of, on the tundra above the tree line). Natar’s face is wonderfully expressive, and the script and story are very simple, and very, very good. It is well shot, with good establishing shots, and again, good simple close-ups with heavy depth of field, always done unobtrusively.
The talk afterward was equally good. The straightforward and sophisticated answers from Pilon contrasted and mingled well with the sometimes abstracted and always entertaining replies from Natar. He said the film made him feel proud of being Canadian. When they asked for the first question or comment, Natar turned to the host and said, “I thought it was good”. However mostly he was quiet, and referred to Pilon.
Now not many times will I write this in a review: Go see this film! But I am sorry to say, you will not enjoy it as much as I did.
