Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner)

Atanarjuat: Nearly three hours long, based upon Inuit tribal legend, and presented entirely in the Inuit language Inuktitut (with English subtitles), “The Fast Runner” is nothing if not unique. But when you strip away the striking Arctic visuals and the National Geographic caliber depiction of Inuit culture, what you are left with, at heart, is a rather amateur production. The story blends Inuit myth with universal themes of love, lust, and betrayal, but the movie would have benefited from some judicious editing. It is too long, too repetitive, and not completely effective at blending myth and reality in a coherent fashion. The movie is an impressive accomplishment, and gives us a look at a way of life most of us know nothing about and can scarcely imagine, but “The Fast Runner” is for cinephiles and the truly adventurous only.