This was a good, surprisingly engrossing film given its long running time and slow pace. I have read some excellent reviews on it and don't know as I can much improve on what's already been said, but I do have one or two comments I'd like to add to the mix. First is regarding the confusing beginning. I was lost for that half hour, but thereafter the film righted itself and the rest was captivating. (Note: Wikipedia has a pretty good plot summary and if you follow along with that while watching the movie, you will get more out of it. The summary is really only necessary for the first and last half hours.)I think the thing that must be reemphasized is that this film is a reenactment of an Inuit legend intended for Inuit audiences. The Inuit already know the legend and do not need the beginning (or any other part of it) to be blatantly laid out. It is similar to our recent movies about Hansel and Gretel and Jack and the Beanstalk. Those two films would be confusing if you had no back story, but due to our culture, most of us are very familiar with the tales. Better parallels could be some of the super-hero films coming out today. We have all known about Kryptonite since grade-school. But if you grew up in an isolated state, the Superman movies would also be pretty confusing. Finally, this film was intended for Inuit audiences. We are really just voyeurs allowed to peek in and experience their world. There was never any intention to compete with Hollywood and this film does not measure up to ALL the Hollywood ideals. But it is a timeless story filmed in a beautiful location with wonderful actors (anyone who says otherwise has no familiarity with northern peoples.). Of any marginally mainstream movie that deals with life in the traditional arctic, ATFR gives the truest representation. It is worth a watch for the great story and to give you a jaw-dropping appreciation for the brutality of that life and the ruggedness of the people who are able to endure it.

It tells a legend from the two thousand years ago, about Atanarjuat, who incurs the jealous enmity of Oki when he marries Atuat… Oki kills Atanarjuat's brother, but Atanarjuat escapes in a stunning sequence, running naked across the ice floes, outstripping his pursuers until, his feet torn and bloody, he is taken in by a friendly sorcerer… The motion picture concedes nothing in the way of authenticity, with sequences that show in realistic detail the training of sled-dogs, cutting up animal carcasses or making an igloo… But the convincing ethnographic elements only serve to intensify the compelling story and characters, which take on a truly epic dimension… If the purpose of a national cinema is to represent the culture of the peoples it belongs to, then "Atanarjuat" achieves this victoriously, both the content of the film and the manner of its telling being wholly specific to Canada, yet in the process achieving a universal appeal

Welcome to my top 20 of all time best movies Atanar Juat. Here's a picture that will leave no one untouched. It tells the story of two Eskimo brothers, Atanar and Amaqjuaq, who learned to look out for each other all the time. When Atanar falls in love with Atuat, who was supposed to marry Oki, things start to get hot around the tribe's residence and the two of them have a traditional fight to decide who will be her future husband. Some years later, Atanar passes Oki's tribe as a married man and future father. The local family suggests he takes another woman along on his journey, Oki's sister Puja (with the Eskimo's a man is allowed to marry two women). The two of them get along fine and Atanar decides to marry her too. But then a family problem rises when Atanar catches his older brother doing it with his second wife. At first Puja's stay with the others is unwanted so she runs back to her family in tears and tells them about this incident. When Oki hears about this he becomes furious and decides to kill Atanar and his brother.Great acting and a splendid insight into Inuit traditions and moral values regarding life and death, love and hate. Do yourself a favour and get this one!

For the longest time, I sort of avoided Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, as I knew the movie was a long one, and about Inuit legend, something that really didn't appeal to me. But when the title became available, I decided to, as they say, throw caution into the wind, and watch this. After finishing it, I'm really glad I had the experience, as it's a pretty amazing movie, both in it's story and the sheer fact that it got made. The story is about one man, Atanarjuat, and his daily life in the cold harsh arctic. He seems to get along well with the other Inuit, but soon, a power struggle erupts, and soon he has to rely on the powers within himself and others to overcome great odds thrown in his way. Again, the sheer fact that this was made, and the fact that they found actors in the caliber of performance that Natar Ungalaaq Pulls off is nothing short of remarkable. I don't know the full story of how this was made, but I am sure these are first time actors here, and they just ace it. Probably because the story hits so close to home. The lead actor, Natar Ungalaaq is to be especially commended for taking so many acting risks as he did (running naked on ice floes??) The only problem I have with this, and this seems to be a common complaint with people who watched this, is that it's quite hard for the first hour or so, to figure out who's who. But other than that, yeah, try to see this one if you can, you'll be glad you did.