Far North is like a half whispered tale told round a campfire way out in the tundra, a tale that keeps the fire going while freezing your blood. I'm not sure if it's based on some Inuit parable or fable, but it certainly has the aura of such. There's a whole lot of land up there, and most likely centuries of stories just like this one, witnessed only by the wolves and the winter cold, as well as the few hard bitten inhabitants who call it home. Michelle Yeoh is Saiva, an outcast from her tribe after being deemed cursed by her shaman at birth, left to wander the expanse alone. Her only companion is a young girl (Michelle Krusiec) who she rescued from marauding soldiers as a baby, and has raised somewhat as a daughter. The two live an isolated existence, until Saiva finds half dead soldier Loki (Sean Bean) wandering the tundra, and reluctantly takes him in. That's where trouble begins, as he takes a liking to the young girl, a bond is formed, and another is soured and broken. There's a third act shocker that will have your skin crawling, a jarring act of violence, deception and betrayal that leaves us feeling as cold and cast out as Saiva, an existence which probably foretold such horrors years ago when the shaman gazed upon her face. It doesn't quite fit with the lyrical beauty and ambient pace that came before, but it's definitely an unforgettable way to end the story, and a reminder of humans and their capacity for darkness. Roaming caribou, miles of ice, wandering wolves, and the few humans who survive out there, perhaps affected by something deeper, something elemental that lives in the very air. Not a perfect film, but fascinating and quite unlike any other. Oh, and a warning: there are some graphic and suspiciously realistic scenes of animal violence.

A film built in on secret human desires, on people instincts. Many movies have failed to deliver such feelings in the past. This one isn't!Far North is calm in the beginning only to shatter the heart in the end. This movie it is not about a woman or two, not about a man, but feels more like an ice cold journey into the real nature of humankind. Be warned, you might not like what is to be found there.This is the only film I know, which clearly draws a 'bold' red line between a woman in her twenties and a woman in her forties. I saw it just now and I liked this movie more than I would ever want to admit here. Although it has some minor loose elements, in the end nothing really matters. To me, this is a 10+ movie! Congratulations to all the people involved in the making!"Let me comb your hair (so you'll be beautiful for him), you must look your best for Loki when he returns…"Far North, in loneliness and isolation, these words may and do have a different meaning

Far North is one of the worst films i have ever seen. A pointless tale that fails to entertain (except for the unintentionally hilarious ending) or inform, it's one saving grace being it only last for 89 minutes.The film plods along for 70 or so minutes without a lot happening, except for a man falling in love with a young girl, and the other, older girl looking slightly annoyed. It is then revealed that the older girl saved the younger girl from some soldiers. However, 70 minutes or so into the film, she feels the need to strangle the girl she saved and cut her face off when she reveals she is leaving with the man. Pretty unconvincing stuff.At the start of the film i thought that possibly this film would have a political theme about mining coal in the Tundra, but not so. No information is given to WHEN this film is set, except for the presence of soldiers, so assumingly during war time.Even the scenery isn't convincing, the boat scenes on the rivers are clearly backdrops.This film will bore you to death for the vast majority of its duration, with an ending that will baffle you and probably make you laugh. Do yourself a favour and give this one a miss.

I thought that Far North really reflected traits that all humans hold, however deeply we may bury them. Greed, survival and the need to be loved.When Saiva, Michelle Yeoh, was born her tribe shaman told her mother that she would grow to be evil and that everyone close to her would die. So as soon as she is old enough she is banished to travel and live alone. But she soon meets a tribe when they are rounding up the caribou and she becomes close to one man in particular.Then the Russians invade their land and she comes back from a short trip to discover soldiers have killed the whole tribe, except her man friend and a baby. They are still there, though, and they rape her after slitting the man's throat. She escapes with the baby, though we are never sure whether it is her daughter or someone else's. We cannot be sure of the time frame in these flashbacks, as Kapadia has left this open to interpretation.I'm not sure whether this is good or bad, good in the sense that spectators can defend Saiva's actions at the end if they so wish or bad because it requires less effort to speculate on facts rather than assumptions.The ending itself is truly disturbing, it kept me thinking and reflecting for days on end. 'Disturbing' was the word I used to describe it to others, quickly adding that this was a good film. I did enjoy it; the scenery itself was almost overwhelmingly beautiful and was matched in its beauty by the cinematography. The performance from Yeoh was lovely to watch, and in my opinion her character was easy to make an allegiance with, as I could understand her reasons for doing what she did at the end.Her performance was strongly supported by Michelle Krusiec and Sean Bean, although it could perhaps be said that Krusiec made her character a bit too ahead of her time. And judging by the ending for Mr. Bean, I think I can safely assume that he'll be staying in climates above 0 degrees Celsius for quite sometime...wearing as many layers as possible.