really really really good.

I'm certain it might be a great film. But I got so bored by this I stopped watching half way through.

Bravo to the Eskimos for putting together a film where there is zero film industry. It's a good plot, and the insight into their culture is rich. However, it is quite clearly an amateur production. The acting is mostly poor, the story is utterly black & white with flat characterization, and it's shot on ugly video. There isn't any distinct style or voice at work. I didn't mind watching it but it certainly isn't noteworthy and I wouldn't recommend it unless you're really interested in Eskimos.

This being the first (and, as far as I know, only) feature filmed by the Inuits, many critics praised it, acknowledging, rightfully, that it portrays a world most of us will never see. But cultural fascination aside, it's a decidedly flawed film. At 161 minutes, it's not a brisk ride, and the story (an ancient legend) is sometimes confusing. The acting and directing aren't particularly strong either, but the film still has some power. It's a heartfelt work, definitely worth at least one viewing.

The setting (arctic North America pre-European contact) and source material (an Inuit myth) are fascinating, unknown territory for most film audiences. The little details of life shown (EG: the formal dueling system used to settle a dispute) are interesting and of course the image of Atanarjuat being chased on foot, naked, through the snow, is unforgettable. On a technical level, the film is somewhat amateurish, and I don't think Kunuk succeeds in pulling much meaning or power from the story.

If this was in English, would anyone care about this stiltedly acted, badly paced, directionlessly told, idiotically written, over-long, wish-I-was-Tarkovsky soap opera?

A thrilling Inuit masterpiece. Very exciting stuff.

It's ineptly made, it's slow, and it's THREE FRIGGING HOURS LONG, but we're all supposed to love it because it's made by Eskimos and therefore so much more pure than anything that comes from Evil, Evil Hollywood. This movie is a perfect example of why there's no money in independent films, and why people all over the world have movies that they hocked their dogs to make sitting unreleased in their garage because they can't get a distributor to save their sorry lives. Unclean! Unclean!

It's amazing how beautiful the arctic can be

Very odd and interesting movie, showing life so diffrent from what I am used to. Great story.

One of those rare films that genuinely feels like a documentary.

am i the only one that disliked this? boring, overlong, gimmicky, and i couldn't even tell the three main characters apart.

exciting doc-style portrait of North American Indian life. Dramatic, compelling.