>>REVIEW
ARCTIC SON
Movies that Matter
DIRECTED BY Andrew Walton
Monday, November 13
Engineered Air Theatre (Epcor)
When you’ve got incendiary documentaries about shifty American politicians and fast food franchises, watching a film set near the Alaskan border may sound as exciting as listening to hair grow. However, Arctic Son manages to beat the odds on the strength of its subjects and setting.
Directed by Andrew Walton, the documentary largely takes place in Old Crow, a Yukon community 129 kilometres north of the Arctic circle with, not surprisingly, a population of 300 people.
Stan Njootli Sr. astutely points out there are two kinds of people in Old Crow – those who want to be there, and those that can’t afford to be somewhere else. Stan Sr. falls into the former and waits with slight trepidation for his estranged son to arrive from the States.
As for those who can’t afford to be somewhere else, cue the prodigal son.
Cut to a bar in Washington State and we find a drunken Stan Jr. with little money, few prospects and no direction – save one.
Battling alcohol, drugs and homelessness, he accepts the invitation to stay in Old Crow in an attempt to find himself and rekindle his relationship with a father he feels abandoned him. From there, both men begin their respective journeys. For Stan Sr., it’s the opportunity to be the father he should have been had he not destroyed his marriage with alcohol.
For Stan Jr., it’s the chance to find his place in the world and undergo a spiritual awakening to avoid his father’s mistakes.
Their trip across the frozen river forces the Njootlis to depend on each other for survival. It’s quite the savvy move for Stan Sr. as he imparts sage advice to his son on everything from how to cut a fishing hole to what age a man should stop having sex (Answer: damn old).
While the isolated backdrop of Old Crow is a visual novelty, Walton understands it’s the human element that drives this documentary through his subtle and understated portrayal of Stan Sr. and Jr. The film hones in on the fact there is nothing particularly unique about the Njootlis or their situation, and therein lies its appeal – they’re real people with real problems we’ve all experienced at one point in our lives.
You may not want to live in Old Crow, but Arctic Son made it a nice place to visit.
Arctic Son is part of the Movies that Matter film series and will have a one-time screening on Monday, November 13 at 7 p.m. at the Engineered Air Theatre (Epcor Centre). |
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