Movie Analysis
Movie Analysis
Introduction
The fast runner (Atanarjuat) is a Canadian movie produced in 2001 and directed by Zacharias Kunuk. The producers include Paul Apak Angilirq, Norman Cohn, Zacharias Kunuk and Germaine Wong. The movie is the first one to be acted and directed in Inuktitut. The film is set in the olden past and revolves around the Inuit legend. The legend is passed down from one generation to another via oral traditions. The producers examined a wide range of themes in the movie including evil versus good, love and hate and traditional and community lore. The movie can be considered a murder thriller, but it is more than that as it consists of various themes like God and man, role of spirits (shamans) in the lives of the community members. The themes are common to every culture from ancient times.
The film is a story of real people who have various qualities, weaknesses and behaviors. The life of the Inuit residents is similar to other people’s life. The producers have used different elements including imagery, setting, character and lighting to convey the themes. Thesis: Movie elements such as imagery, settings, lighting, and characters among others influence the message being conveyed differently. The elements aid in conveying and development of themes in the movie. The elements have played a significant function in the production of the film the fast runner especially the development of the themes. The filmmakers were able to illustrate the culture and traditions of Inuit communities using the elements. The fast runner has a spectacular cinematography that has made it popular and unique (Evans, 2010).
Discussion
The role of spirit (shaman) in the society
The producers have used different movie elements to develop the themes and convey the message to the audience. The elements include characters, lighting, setting, imagery, sound, flashback etc. Setting is essential role in the production of the movie and communication of the message. Setting has helped in the development of the themes. The setting of the movie is Igloolik in the Eastern Arctic wilderness. The producers produced the movie at the daybreak of the first millennium. The movie aimed at showing how the Inuit communities have survived and flourished in the Arctic for many years. The producers also used the movie to introduce the film as a medium of storytelling to aid the communities live long. The movie enabled the Inuit communities to show the positive and correct images of them on the screen. Therefore, the setting helps in attaining the objective of the movie (Evans, 2010).
Spirits have a vital function in Inuit communities as they influence the lives of the community members. An evil spirit in the form of a strange unfamiliar shaman entered the community and disrupted the balance and cooperation among the members. The Shaman left behind a lasting curse of bitterness and disagreement. Flashback and voice over enhance the theme of the role of spirits in the communities. The elements show the effect of the shaman curse on the members. Voice over refers to a production where producers use a voice not part of the narrative. The voice over can be spoken by another person who appears elsewhere in the narrative. The film producers place a sound of a human voice over images on the screen related or not related to the spoken words. Voice over can be used to develop ironic turn points.
In this case, the fast runner’s producers used voices related to the narrative. The characters who spoke the voice appear later in the production. Voice over is heard in different parts of the film. Voice over is heard when an old man sings a childish song. In addition, a voice over from a female character is heard as Panikpak watches Qulitalik leave. The voice over represents Panikpak voice when elderly. Additionally, flashback and has enhanced the theme the of role of spirits. The flashback to the initial stone house shows the impact of the shaman or evil spirit on the community members. The evil spirit causes death as Kumaglak dies after the stone lamp breaks into half. Also, the Sharman curse poisons the camp and makes it difficult for Tulimaq to feed his family due to bad luck. Tulimaq is unable to hunt and hence support his family. This compels, Panikpak to bring meat to the children without Tulimaq knowing. Panikpak believes that the children will become strong one day and make things in the family and camp right (Evans, 2010).
Evil versus good
Moreover, flash-forward helps in the production of the movie as the producers include a scene that takes the story forwards in time from the present point of the narrative. Flash-forward help present events expected to happen in the future. In addition, flash-forward reveals a certain part of the story that has not yet happened, but will happen soon. The producers use flash-forward to present events that will happen in the near future. The flash-forward moves the narrative of the fast runner forward in time and audiences are able to see events that will happen in the future. They are able to see events that will take place later in the movie. The producers included certain scenes that as flash forward to support the theme of the role of an evil spirit in the society. Flash-forward, Qulitalik bid goodbye to Panikpak and promises to come to assist her if she calls for aid in her heart. Flash-forward enhances the theme of evil versus good. The movie of good versus evil is evidenced by the rivalry between Amaqjuang, Atanarjuat and Oki. Amaqjuang is considered the strong one and Atanarjuat the fast runner. Oki resents Atanarjuat and Amaqjuang as they are successful in life while he is not. The producers use flash-forward to show the events that occur due to Oki resentment. They move the story forward several decades. Amaqjuang and Atanarjuat become successful hunters and Oki becomes unsuccessful as he is not able to hunt.
Oki borrows the brothers’ dogs, but Atanarjuat chases them. Also, Oki becomes jealousy after discovering that Atanarjuat likes Atuat and also Puja has feelings for Atanarjuat. The scene is set for a contest as Oki and the two brothers disagree on Puja and Atuat marriage. Oki grandmother, Panikpak does not support Oki’s decision to marry Oki because of his cruelty. Oki is cruel like his father, Sauri. Sauri made the evil shaman visit the community and disrupt peace and cooperation. The evil spirit has an adverse effect on Oki as he gets troubled with the vision of the Shaman during the war. On the other hand, the evil spirit does not have a negative effect on Atanarjuat as he is protected by prayer made by Panikpak to her deceased husband. Therefore, Atanarjuat defeats Oki and wins the right to marry Atuat (Evans, 2010).
Further, characters have helped in fostering the themes in the movie. Character development has helped in the development of the theme of evil versus good. Paul Apak Angilirq, Norman Cohn, Zacharias Kunuk and Germaine Wong produced the characters well to pass the message to the audience. The producers developed the characters from their conversation with the elders from the Inuit communities. The elders inherited the oral tradition as it is passed from generation to generation. The producers ensured they achieved historical accuracy during production. The producers found it hard to resurrect shamanism including its beliefs and practices. The producers had to consult elders from the Inuit communities in order to gather sufficient information. They gathered information about religion and practices common in the community. The producers assumed that the audience did not know the characters and revealed vital information about them to aid the audience in understanding. They revealed information about the character’s family members, location, friends and secrets. The audience can find out more about the characters as the producers reveal the characters slowly. The producers did not depend on outside actors but used Inuit actors. The production team brought film makers to train the Inuit actors to ensure they casted only Inuit people. Most of the Inuit people are unemployed and have a wide range of problems that affect the society. However, the production team used the Inuit people though they were inexperienced (Evans, 2010).
The film makers used real characters that understand the challenges faced by Inuit communities and their traditions. The characters have characteristics similar to characteristics of other people in the society and globally. The characters are capable of deceit, adultery, hypocrisy and generosity. Also, the characters are capable of hate and love like other people in the society. The movie acting is confident and relaxed and mostly non professional characters act in the movie. The characters are from two families. That is the Atanarjuat family and Oki’s family. The characters play different roles and have been developed well to suit their roles and enhance the themes (Evans, 2010).
The producers developed Oki, Sauri and Kumaglak well to show the evil and its effect on the community members. In the movie, evil is passed from one generation to another. Kumaglak is Sauri’s father, and Sauri is the source of the evil spirit (Shaman). Sauri brings the evil Shaman that disrupts harmony in the camp and causes death. Sauri’s father, Kumaglak was also a powerful shaman and the evil was passed to Sauri after his death. The producers ensured Sauri and his father portray evil in the society. The characters have traits or qualities associated with evil such as shaman leaders, selfish and cruel. Sauri does not care about the community harmony, and he brings the shaman in the community to disturb the harmony.
Hate and love
Further, Oki, Amaqjuang and Atanarjuat are developed well to portray the theme of hate and love. The characters have different qualities and behaviors that affect their relationship with other people in the society. Oki is jealousy, resentful, cruel and a non achiever. On the other hand, Amaqjuang and Atanarjuat are loving, outstanding hunters, strong and fast. Oki find it hard to relate with other members in the society as he is jealousy, cruel and a non achiever. Oki focuses on destroying Amaqjuang and Atanarjuat. Oki concentrates on murdering Atanarjuat to prevent him from marrying Atuat. This causes conflict between the two, and Atanjuart defeats Oki and marries Atuat. Oki is resentful of Atanarjuat after marrying Atuat and vows to revenge. The evil spirit prevents Oki from being successful in life and affects his behaviors. Oki became cruel, resentful and jealousy after the evil spirit visited the community (Evans, 2010).
Deceit, infidelity, betrayal and revenge
Additionally, the characters portray the theme of deceit and revenge through their behaviors. The characters change from scene to scene. For example, Amaqjuang changes from scene to scene. At the beginning of the movie, Amaqjuang is a responsible young man like Atanjuart, but he changes towards the end of the movie. Deceit and revenge are common in the movie as evidenced by Tulimaq, Puja and Amaqjuang. Tulimaq deceives Atanarjuat that an elder requested him to stop at Sauri’s camp. Atanarjuat allows himself to be deceived and he passes at Sauri’s camp as requested. In addition, Atanarjuat cheats on his wife with Puja after visiting Sauri’ camp. Also, Puja and Amaqjuang cheat on their spouses. Oki decides to revenge after Puja reports that Atanarjuat attempted to kill her without any reason. Oki and his henchmen commit murder as they stab Amaqjuang with a spear. However, Atanarjuat runs across the ice. Atanarjuat has distinct characteristics from his brother and friends as he is considered the fastest runner. The film makers developed Atanarjuat well to show his victory and success in life. The characters depend on a spirit that guides them in overcoming evil and also succeeding. Oki hears his father’s voice calling him after he attacks Amaqjuang and warns him that Atanjuart is coming. In addition, Atanarjuat sees a vision of an elderly man collecting eggs calling him while running. The old man and his family rescue Atanarjuat and care for him after collapsing (Evans, 2010).
Apart from using real characters and developing them well, the production managers use distinct costumes. The costumes used differ from costumes used in other movies as they are not westernized. The production team researched the clothes, tools, dwelling and canoes of the olden Inuit people before producing the film to ensure the movie reflected the community culture. Also, the production team used traditional materials and techniques to develop the props, location, and costumes and set folks. The producers preserved the culture of Inuit communities while producing and educating the residents. The unique costumes make the film unique and show the culture of the Inuit people (Evans, 2010).
Moreover, the filmmakers used point of view shots when producing the movie. The point of view shots refers to scenes that depict what an actor is looking at. The point of view shots is created by positioning the shot of an actor gazing at something and another shot that shows the reaction of the character. A point of view shot should be a single point of view of a character. The producers use point view shots in different scenes. They use a pint of view when Oki is knocked down while fighting with Atanarjuat. Besides, the produces use point of view when Puja and Atanarjuat are intimate and when Puja and Amangjuang are intimate and Atanarjuat attempts to kill her. Also, the producers use point of view shots when Atanarjuat collapses after the flight and regains consciousness. Atanarjuat finds Qualitalik, Kigutikaajuk and Nirinnuniq looking at him. Additionally, the producers use point of view shots during Atanarjuat last fight with Oki. There are shots of Oki and Atanarjuat showing their opponents. Lastly, the producers use point of view shots when Oki rapes Atuat and Oki attacks Qualitalik and threatens to kill him.
The point of views fosters the themes of deceit, betrayal, revenge and infidelity. The producers use the point of actions to show dramatic action as the actors fight. They also use point of view shots to produce dramatic action in scenes that the actors are more involved than others. The point of view shots give the actions more urgency, and this makes the audience connect with the characters. The audiences feel like acting along with the actors. During this time, the audience can see the events from a different perspective from the outside perspective. They can also see what other actors cannot see (Evans, 2010).
The point of view shots align the audiences with intimately with the vantage point of the actors whose point of view is shown. The points of view shots also enable the audiences to empathize with the characters. The producers utilized the point of view shots to depict Atanjuart as the protagonist. The producers switch between internal and external views and make the audiences aware of Inuit perspectives and non Inuit perspectives. Therefore, the points of view shots support the themes of deceit, hate versus love, evil versus good and revenge (Evans, 2010).
The film has an outstanding cinematography that distinguishes it from other films and contributes to the development of theme of deceit and revenge. The cinematography is influenced by the Arctic setting. The film makers have used long shots to produce the film. The film producers reveal the immense arctic landscape and its beauty. The landscape is photographed at various weather and times. Also, the photographer photographs the landscape in different lighting conditions. The film makers present a collection of sky colors and snow colors. Photographing the landscape at different weather conditions, times and lighting enhances the themes identified explored by the producers. The composition of the frame depends on the flatness of the land. A horizontal line is used to divide the screen to show different times and seasons. The horizontal lines divided the screen into land, ice, sky and snow. Apart from the long shots, there are a lot of close ups of faces, body sections, feet and faces. Sometimes the actors move near the camera. For instance, the actors move near the camera during the boxing match. This is because the production team filmed the movie in constricted interiors (Evans, 2010).
The producers have used hand held camera throughout the movie. The producer ties the camera to a sled when filming characters as they run and walk. The images become unstable during dramatic unrest, running and battle. This shows anxiety and action. The camera moves back and forth between the dialogue characters during dialogue rather than cutting between the actors. The method of hand held camera, and mobile framing develop a sense of nearness that overcomes the cultural and spatial differences between the production and viewing context. The producers do not film some of the scenes from a straight angle as this would cut some details. The camera points upward when filming the shots that give Atanarjuat a superhuman hop across the crack in the ice. The camera shows Atanarjuat body in slow motion as he leaps. They also use low angle shots in various scenes. The produces film Oki, Amaqjuang and other people from a low angle after fighting. The camera movements in several scenes differentiate forward movement and no forward movement. For instance, the camera movement show forward movement when Tulimaq fights with a dog. The forward movements were photographed using mobile camera and the non forward movement still camera. Therefore, the producers contrast pittaluk with Tulimaq while returning. Pittaluk and his son are filmed from behind as they wait for Tulimaq. The camera movements and positions enhance the themes. The photographers film the characters as they fight, run and walk. The camera movements foster the themes of hate versus love, deceit, revenge and evil versus good as some characters engage in evil behaviors and others good behaviors. The producers would not have communicated the message without the magnificent cinematography. Lastly, producers have used traditional music from the Inuit community to illustrate the culture and traditions of the community. The traditional music makes the film unique as most of the films produced today use nontraditional music (Evans, 2010).
Besides, the lighting of the film makes it distinct and contributes to the development of the themes. The movie has a realist and expressive lighting. Most of the modern producers use realistic lighting because of the advances in technology. Realistic lighting gives a movie a realistic feel. The lighting of the fast runner is excellent as the producers used realistic and expressive lighting to give a realistic feel to the movie. The movie is produced during different seasons and the audience can see the difference between the seasons. The realistic lighting makes the movie real and conveys the Inuit culture well. It also helps communicate the message to the audience. The film might be long, but the lighting is an excellent sensory experience. The realistic characters and realistic lighting help the producers and director tell the story. The producers have used realistic lighting in different scenes. For instance, realistic lighting can be seen in the scene where Oki and his henchmen chase Atanjuart. In addition, the lighting can be seen in the scene where Atanjuart is covered with ice (Evans, 2010).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the fast runner is still popular today since 2001. The fast runner is the first movie to be produced in the Inuit language. Audiences find it hard to understand the film as it begins as the characters are covered in seal skins. However, the audience follows the movie after it starts as the story begins to flow. Zacharias Kunuk combined a wide range of things such an oral traditions, spiritual fears among others to communicate the message. The movie shows the challenges the Inuit communities have faced for the past decades and how they have survived. The film makers have integrated different movie elements that have made the movie successful. The elements include lighting, camera movements, music, narrative structures, characters etc. The elements have fostered the themes of deceit, evil and good, hate and love, evil spirit (shaman). The movie is popular because of the integration of movie elements in a movie that features indigenous communities (Evans, 2010).
Reference
Evans, M.R. (2010). The Fast Runner:Filming the Legend of Atanarjuat. University of Nebraska press
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