74
Metascore
6 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100VarietyVarietyA profound, elemental and hauntingly beautiful period drama that makes an intimate story of endurance into a metaphor for an entire culture.
- 83The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayAs the movie’s title implies, everything is about to change for these two. These are the last happy days before destructive modernity encroaches.
- 80Film ThreatFilm ThreatIt’s a historical slice of life that not even most Canadians get to see, never mind the rest of the world, yet the tale is told more with emotion than words, and the language barrier melts away like the snow in spring.
- 70The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenFrustratingly sketchy partly because it is not finally a survival tale but a mystical evocation of the power of Inuit mythology, and how the passing down of ancient wisdom can sustain the human spirit in the direst circumstances. But the unanswered questions still nag.
- 70Village VoiceVillage VoiceBut if the movie's documentary function tends to trump its narrative one, the directors nevertheless manage to locate great reserves of sadness in the material, tapping a particularly rich vein in the wrinkled look of resignation on actress/co-director Ivalu's face.
- 60Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfThe problem here, though, is that the movie often feels fat instead of lean. A terribly purple folk score by Kate and Anna McGarrigle hypes the spiritual aspects of the Inuit way of life; you’ll die laughing on the tundra.