The Necessities of Life

2008

102 mins

Directed by Benoît Pilon
60%
85%
Drama
Award Winner

An ailing Inuit hunter forges an unlikely friendship with a young boy in this Canadian drama, set against the... More

An ailing Inuit hunter forges an unlikely friendship with a young boy in this Canadian drama, set against the 1950s-era tuberculosis epidemic in Far North.

The spread of the disease forced many Inuit to go to cities for treatment, like Tivii (Natar Ungalaaq, Atanarjuat: the Fast Runner) who is taken to a sanatorium in Quebec City. Uprooted, far from his loved ones and faced with a completely alien world, he finds himself unable to communicate with anyone. When his nurse realises that Tivii’s illness is not the most serious threat to his well-being, she arranges to have a young orphan, Kaki, transferred to the institution. The boy is also sick, but has experience of both worlds and speaks both languages. By sharing his culture with Kaki and opening it up to others, Tivii rediscovers his pride and energy.

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The Necessities of Life | Ratings & Reviews

60_%5 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes® rating
85_%318 reviews
Audience score rating

"Finely wrought drama "The Necessities of Life" was inspired by a tuberculosis epidemic that broke out in the Inuit population of Canada's Far North in the 1940s and '50s. Natar Ungalaaq of "The Fast Runner" stars as a stricken man yanked from his isolated home terrain to a Quebec City hospital, where he experiences both profound culture shock and some barrier-transcending human connections. A model of delicate emotional restraint, the handsome pic earns its many lump-in-throat moments. Likely fest kudos should spur offshore tube sales and hopefully some arthouse placements."

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Variety

"Martin Koolhoven’s film makes telling use of his snow-bound landscapes to suggest the frozen limbo-time the Dutch found themselves in, knowing liberation was imminent but not daring to anticipate it – and never being sure just who to trust."

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