Maliglutit

Inspired by the Westerns he grew up watching, Zacharias Kunuk’s Maliglutit strips away some conventional elements of the Western—the arid deserts, horses, and cowboys—to highlight the invincible power of the Arctic landscape and the importance of community and ancestral knowledge for survival. Set in Nunavut (Northern Canada) in 1913, the wife and daughter of Kuanana are kidnapped by a trio of greedy, rapacious men. Calling on his father’s spiritual guide, Kuanana and his son set out to find them. Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq provides the hauntingly effective soundtrack. “An emotionally arduous journey with fierce twists and an unrelenting sense of urgency up until the final, hard-fought frame” (Shane Scott-Travis, Taste of Cinema).