It's not a great film because the majority of the main actors have no or only B movie acting experience, and it's a slice of life film that without the acting feels more like a reality segment which meanders.

I won't criticize the child actor's (Lukasi Forrest) performance as it would be in bad taste; while researching their credits, I learned that the kid commited suicide in real life 3 years later in high school.

The linked APTN article cited a statistic which states that suicide is 25 times more prevalent in Northern native communities than in the rest of Quebec - that's incredibly sad and worth shedding light on. The movie THE GRIZZLIES (2018) addresses the teen suicide crisis to a certain extent.

Visibly suffers from apparently giving the non-professional cast very little guidance, and the script wanders into some bizarre soap opera territory at times (featuring one of more inexplicable uses of cancer as a plot device I've come across), but the location and character detail is definitely of interest. Pairs well with Slash/Back as a semi-documentary fantasy about Millennials/Gen Z learning to embrace Nunavut as a place to call home.

Cannes-ed Food Film Fest

Happy Can-con Day.

This was a visually stunning but somewhat blasé melodrama. While I enjoyed Uvanga more than I usually enjoy that mumblecore type indie drama, that shit definitely isn't my speed, so neither was this.

It was fly seeing a movie largely in Inuktitut and always great seeing indigenous culture represented in a non-exploitative if almost benign capacity, especially from creatives within said cultures.

This movie is directed competently with some interesting and well framed shots, but also has quite a few close ups with a very distracting amount of blurring in both the fore and background, which clashes with the crisp well framed landscape shots. The director's ability to communicate visually can also be confusing at times, but there is talent on display here. Unfortunately the movie's greatest weakness is the acting, which is, given it's very unique setting and untested cast, quite amateurish and unconvincing. The story is melodramic, which given the indie nature of this movie is understandable. As the director's first movie, it manages to ride the line of being competent and bad due to its mild story, poor acting and decent cinematography. Which is sad since its quite a unique setting, I hope one day a more experienced director and cast will explore it again.

Caucasian widow of Inuit man comes back to the Arctic with their son to spend the summer holidays. The boy easily connects with the locals and sets out to find out the truth about his father's death. The local weirdo gives a hand in "printing the legend". Loosely scripted character-driven drama is not always convincing but offers a credible, documentary-flavored glimpse to a relatively unsung world.

At its best when Tomas and Travis are spending time together; a wholesome dynamic between formerly estranged brothers.