1953. Charlie Halliday, a former WWII fighter pilot, is a Yellowknife-based bush pilot. Like many of the white in the area, he does not associate with the Inuit except for what he can get out of them in bartering. On a personal plane trip, he runs across a small family of nomadic Inuit. The female of the group, named Kanaalaq, has what Charlie suspects is tuberculosis. In exchange for some ivory, Charlie agrees to fly her to a hospital in Yellowknife. En route back to the city, Charlie is forced to make a crash landing when the plane develops mechanical problems. Although both Charlie and Kanaalaq are unharmed by the crash, the plane is totaled, they are in the middle of nowhere, the radio doesn't seem to be working, they have a meager amount of supplies, and Charlie's whereabouts are probably unknown to others since he made a detour from his original route. Furthermore, they can't communicate with each other as Kanaalaq only knows a few words of English, whereas Charlie knows no ... Written by
Plot Synopsis:
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machine_gun_molly from Canada
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Every once and a while a movie comes along that is meant to be, in my humble opinion, seen. The Snow Walker is that movie.
The storyline is simple: a bush pilot is asked to bring a young sick Inuit girl to a Yellowknife hospital but the plane crashes in the Canadian tundra. As simple as that. What develops between the two characters is a bond that only two people trying to survive in that situation could experience.
Charles Martin Smith's direction is perfect. He gives both Barry Pepper and Annabella Piugattuk free rein in their performances that gives us the impression of improvisation. Their friendship enfolds slowly, as any friendship would, if you where with a stranger battling the tundra, which in this movie, is almost like a third character. As flat and as barren as the tundra may appear, it is shot in such a way that has your eye searching for detail as if you were looking at a painting.
The Snow Walker is an example of straightforward storytelling that proves the fact that less is sometimes more. There are no car chases, no gunfights and yet I found myself completely engrossed. I came upon this movie by chance when I read the review in a local newspaper that gave it 4 stars and yet I never saw a single trailer or advertisement for it.
What a shame that this great movie will not be seen by a larger audience.
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jgstorey from Hay River NT
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My wife and I are educators who spent 9 years in Nunavut and presently work in the NWT. In fact I was the Principal in Igloolik for four years and Anabelle was one of my students. I am very proud of her for the truth she brings to this role in creating a wonderful character . Unlike every other film about the North except Atanarjuat this movie struck my wife and I as "true" It had an accurate depiction of Inuit culture, white arrogance and colliding cultures.
We think Pepper's character was white-washed a bit..... selling cola to Bathurst? Well we know that a lot of bush pilots made their fortune on the Whiskey trade but I guess this would have made the pilot a harder sell for redemption. As for another commentator suggesting he made every survival mistake in the book...he seems about as bright as most new-comers to the Arctic, myself included. If we stay and survive we get smarter in a hurry though.
What we liked is that the characters went beyond stereotypes, Pepper's character went through an amazing learning arc and was treated with respect. This is not a cartoon buffoon though he starts that way. The gentleness and power of Inuit culture is on display but Annabelle is not a cartoon either. Her humanity and sense of humour come through wonderfully.
The struggle for survival is a bit optimistic but hey... We were still able to suspend our disbelief. The land came alive in a way that made us both homesick for Nunavut. Fantastic.....
Pijuyuk, Annabelle.
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C Funk from Canada
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The Snow Walker, following the Farley Mowat book 'Walk Well My Brother' introduces the characters Charlie Halliday, a self-absorbed pilot (played by Barry Pepper) and Kanaalaq, a quiet, resourceful Inuit girl (played by Annabella Piugattuk). The film is directed by Charles Martin Smith, the man who played the main character in Farley Mowat's 'Never Cry Wolf' which must have inspired him to translate this Mowat book into another film. The movie is exceptionally well made, especially considering its low 10 million CDN budget. The camera is well controlled, and the beautiful scenery is captured as well as in any film. Barry Pepper is, as always, a natural talent. He takes the arrogant Charlie on a journey not only of Canada's Northwest Territories, but of character development. Annabella Piugattuk is wonderful as the succinct Inuit girl. Despite language barriers, the two characters manage to communicate well enough, and their relationship blossoms in a fascinating way. You'll find this film exciting, and it is much more entertaining than you'd expect. My only wish was that the film's conclusion was extended; I wanted to see more. I look forward to both Charles Martin Smith and Barry Pepper's next efforts. 9/10
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Faithintheblade from North Bay, Ontario
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I just finished watching this film and it was absoloutly gorgeous. The vastness and emptiness of the arctic tundra is so foreign in this day and age of big cities and suburbs, it was just refreshing to watch. Barry Pepper has never been a good actor in my mind, but this film shows his real potential, he made the character of Charlie a believable one, and the change he experiences didn't come off as cliched like in so many other movies. The young Inuit girl who played Kanalaaq(sp) was so impressive, more so when you learn she can do many of the things her character in the film did!!! She is very beautiful and talented and i can't wait to see where this takes her!
The directing is very good as well. The idea to use as little music as possible adds to the feeling of isolation and barreness of the arctic, and the shots of the sky especially the Northern Lights were gorgeous!!
All in all i loved this film ***/5
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hwm-assoc from canada
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Having spent several years in air search an rescue, this movie is most excellent on how people react when things go wrong. The producers went to great lengths to give accuracy as seen by the detailed mock up they had of the Norseman and the great amount of mosquitos encountered. To rate this movie in a low category would indicate to me that the commenter has had very little to do with wilderness survival in the high arctic.
Even the crash details were reasonably accurate in that the floats on the aircraft had crumpled at the tips. The anger of the pilot after the crash is indicative of shock reaction in such and incident. His methods of survival versus her small fire and small shelter add to the realism of this movie.
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digger2640 from Australia
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I hired 'Wimbledon' but upon opening the case there was the wrong disc. Instead it was this film called 'The Snow Walker'. Had full intentions of taking it straight back to the video store but it was late at night and figured I'd just put it on while I did something else.
I found myself fully engrossed in this film. It was such a nice simple story that's been wonderfully acted. Some of the scenery was nice and what was there was very well shot. Good use of what was available. The music really fit the film well.
Sometimes the films that we have no intention of watching turn out to be nice little surprises.
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jdhanley from Edmonton, Canada
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All too often, people write off movies that come from countries that don't have the Hollywood budgets. The Snow Walker is a Canadian production and every bit as good as anything produced in Hollywood. This is NOT a "Hollywood" film, however, and that's what makes it so great. The movie is made by veterans of the industry (directed by Charles Martin Smith (American Graphiti) and stars Barry Pepper with James Cromwell. It takes place in northern Canada and tells the story of a pilot who crashes is a desolate area of the north along with a young sick Inuit girl who he is trying to get to a hospital to save. Much of the story is about the survival of these two people in the desolate north.
The scenery is amazing and very genuine as the movie was shot in Nunivut, northern Manitoba and B.C. It is based on a story by one of Canada's great authors, Farley Mowat.
This is a definite must to go and see or rent. If you like a great story, this story is for you. If you love movies that are true to the culture they are portraying, this definitely is for you. The Inuit woman (Annabella Piugattuk) who stars in this film is from Nunivut and in real life really does live in a traditional Inuit fashion. This movie is very real to the Inuit way of life.
A very touching movie and one that everyone will enjoy. I completely recommend it for everyone.
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Michael Gazetas from Vancouver
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Terrific cast and subtle direction from Martin makes for an emotional journey in Canada's high arctic. I was quite impressed with the casting, especially the lead Inuit girl. In many ways, the partnership of Pepper and the young Innu girl elevate this film above the standard plot.
Its unexpected poignancy in dealing with spiritual matters and the theme of redemption of Charlie Halliday's special blend of charm and arrogance deserves special mention.
It would have been easy for this film to degenerate into melodrama, but the cast and director continue striving towards offering the audience mature and interesting choices.
Score was a titch "movie-lite", but that is a small quibble. Kudos to entire production for bringing this astonishing vision to fruition.
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mich123 from Los Angeles, California
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The Snow Walker is a fantastic film! Barry Pepper captivated the audience as we followed him on his soulful journey through the arctic. He kept the audience laughing the whole way with the undeniably entertaining chemistry with Annabella. Their stark contrast of cultures is what creates the powerful energy that moved me and everyone around me to tears at the peak of the films emotion. Annabella was brilliant! She held the heart of the film and gave it the warmth needed to make the picture work amidst all of the cold. I could not imagine this movie without her. James Cromwell and the rest of the ensemble cast provided the realism of this period piece. His familiar presence was ensuring and comforting given the circumstance of the story. The whole cast made the film one to remember and gives it a classic quality that you can only find in some epic Disney films like 'White Fang" or 'Never Cry Wolf". Highly recommended!
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faseone23 from Regina, Canada
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It was late at night, i was bored and decided to see what movies were playing. After looking though the scores of sub par movies on at the time , I came upon this movie. I thought it might be kind of interesting a la "Alive" or "Castaway." ... little did I know that it would be both entertaining and captivating as i really wanted Charlie to live. The acting was superb. I started to get quite the crush on Kanaalaq (annabella piugattuk) as she was so strong and truly was responsible for him making it to the others at the end. Even though she was very sick she knew what had to be done.
Beautiful scenery, top notch story, and acting that was bang-on make this a definite recommended movie. Few people will get the chance to see it as it doesn't star Bruce Willis, nor is it directed by Kevin Smith... but it has a charm all it's own.
Annabella Piugattuk's (Kanaalaq) first language is Inuktitut.
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Winter scenes were shot in -28 C (-18 F) weather - -45 C (-49 F) with wind chill.
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Guards armed with tranquilizer guns were on set to protect cast and crew from polar bears, one of which interrupted filming when it charged the set.
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A tame reindeer herd stood in for the wild caribou during the hunt scene.
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The Buck Knife that Charlie relies on throughout the movie was introduced in 1962.
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The movie takes place in 1953 and the Charlie comes riding in on a Harley Davidson made after 1970.
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Later in the movie when Kanaalaq's condition worsens, Charlie says he will have her Medevac'd to a hospital. The term "Medevac", (meaning Medical Evacuation) was not coined until the Vietnam War.
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Early in the film Charlie's girlfriend Estelle takes a photograph of Charlie and his fellow pilots. When the photo is snapped Charlie is clearly inhaling a cigar and has his eyes closed. Later in the film this photo is presented to Charlie's boss but the cigar is absent, his eyes are open, and he's smiling.
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With catastrophic engine failure, aircraft (particularly 1940's Norseman, built specifically for rugged bush flying) don't generally lose steering control. The failed engine, after blowing a head gasket would shut down almost immediately, not continue to run. The aircraft would glide with stability even though the engine wouldn't be running, and it wouldn't be very difficult to control, because the engine systems are completely separate from the cable/pulley control-surface systems.
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When is snowing, where the plane is crushed, the snow doesn't touch the water. The water isn't disturbed.
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After the caribou hunt, Kanaalaq coughs up blood. Before she coughs, you can see the bulge in her cheek from the fake blood capsule.
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An instant before the plane finally crashes down into the water, you can see a small fiery explosive charge go off at the tip of the tail at the top of the screen as the cable holding the plane up is released.
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pilot|survival|inuit|tuberculosis|yellowknife|illness|arctic|winter|tundra|snow|ivory|bush pilot|northwest territories|isolation|bleeding|reindeer|quotation|coca cola|battery|missing person|frustration|crow|search and rescue|skeleton|male nudity|nudity|bathing|parka|boots|spear|pontoon airplane|hula doll|chocolate bar|time lapse photography|presumed dead|edmonton alberta canada|voice over narration|nosebleed|blood|rescue|trading|motorcycle|birthday present|birthday|playing pool|telephone call|flint|mud|bartender|unconsciousness|northern lights|death|dying|poem|ice|storytelling|hunter|dream|storm|igloo|eskimo indian|owl|campfire|head injury|mosquito|insect|starvation|sled|waitress|photographer|camera|coughing|tusk|beer|reference to god|sex|search|dog|drunkenness|drinking|drink|cigar smoking|twenty something|thirty something|song|singer|cold the temperature|year 1953|fish|animal hide|spirituality|disease|search party|flashback|rifle|nature|cross cultural relationship|desolation|remote setting|sick girl|single engine airplane|racism|husky dog|post world war two|1950s|wolf|wilderness|tent|survival skills|sunset|stranded|snowy owl|singing|shadow|rain|prairie dog|nightmare|nestles chocolate bar|sos|matches|knocked out|geese|funeral|fishing|feeling of superiority|falling down a hill|decomposed body|coughing blood|caribou|burial|billiards|aurora borealis|aerial shot|noorduyn norseman bush plane|bare chested male|seaplane|airplane|hangar|bar|airplane crash|inukshuk|hunting|skinning an animal|death of friend|independent film|based on book|
AKAs Titles:
Brazil - Desafio no rtico
Canada (TV title) (French title) - Le d tour
Germany - The Snow Walker - Wettlauf mit dem Tod
Spain - Perdidos en la nieve
France (DVD title) - Inuit
Greece (DVD title) - Agizontas to Theo
Hungary - Egymsra utalva
Japan (English title) - White Crash
Poland - Zimne pieklo
Portugal - Perdidos no rctico
Serbia - Snežna zamka
Russia - Ÿо‚е€нн‹й в нега…
USA - The Snow Walker
Release Dates:
Certifications:
Australia:M / Brazil:14 / Canada:PG / Netherlands:MG6 / South Korea:All / USA:PG
Movie Details:
576x320 (23.976 Fps - 757 Kbps)
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