a review on "Uiksaringitara"
With the world premiere of “Uiksaringitara” (The Wrong Husband), director Zacharias Kunuk returns to the Berlinale program after several years, attracting not only the attention of generation audience. Kunuk is considered one of the most important Inuit filmmakers and co-founded the first independent Inuit production company, Isuma. Isuma is intended to give Inuit filmmakers a platform and enable self-determination. Since the 1990s, Kunuk has been producing and directing films by, with and about Inuit and has won several awards. Like Kunuk's previous films, “Uiksaringitara” tells the story of people from the Inuit community:
The story is set 4000 years ago in the Canadian Arctic region of Nunavut. Kaujak (Theresia Kappianaq) and Sapa (Haiden Angutimarik) have lived together with their families since childhood. They were promised to each other at birth and as they grow up, a close and honest relationship develops between them. They are in the final stages of starting a family and are planning a future together when Kaujak's father suddenly dies. And even more suddenly, a stranger appears while Sapa is out hunting and asks for Kaujak's mother's hand in marriage. Kaujak and her mother have no other option but to follow her new husband to his camp and build a new life. But Kaujuk's thoughts are only with Sapa and she resists the attempts to woo her by young men from the new camp. Sapa, who returns from hunting and learns of his and Kaujuk's fate, also wants to do everything possible to win Kaujuk back, and so they try to find their way back to each other with the help of shamans.
From the very first minutes of “Uiksaringitara”, it is clear that this is a special movie. Mysterious sequences, which at first can hardly be assigned to the plot, accompanied by suspenseful music, keep recurring in between. It quickly becomes clear that this is about the contact between evil and good shamans who assist the protagonists. From now and then, it is not always clear where the boundaries between reality and fantasy lie, but this also gives “Uiksaringitara” its charm. The plot is accompanied by impressive images of the landscape, which are captured by the calm camera work. The everyday and traditional lives of the protagonists are given a lot of space and the audience can watch Sapa, Kaujuk and their families preparing food, hunting and repairing clothes, as well as follow some rituals and community life.
Sapa and Kaujuk are two strong young people whose feelings and thoughts are wonderfully portrayed. Even though the traditional life of Inuits and their everyday life is far removed from mine, I can sympathize with Sapa and especially Kaujuk and understand their feelings. And despite the many differences to today's “western” life, “Uiksaringitara” tells a story that could not be more modern and closer and from which much can be learned: about self-determined love and self-determined life.
Not only the actors of Sapa and Kaujuk, but also the entire cast and the majority of the production were Inuit people. Kanuk thus pursues its goal of self-determined filmmaking and goes hand in hand with the story told in the film. I see it as a great gift that “Uiksaringitara” has been included in the Generation program of this year's Berlinale. Especially as a European film festival, giving marginalized groups their voice back and gaining insights into lives that Europeans have invaded and destroyed in the past is incredibly important in times like these. I can only recommend “Uiksaringitara” - an inspiring and special film that we should all have seen.
You can still watch “Uiksaringitara” during the Berlinale on the following dates:
Mon, Feb 17, 9.45am, Filmtheater am Friedrichshain
Tue, Feb 18, 1pm, Cubix 6
Thu, Feb 20., 7pm HKW 1 – Miriam Makeba Auditorium
