Far North (2007 film)
Encyclopedia
Far North is an independently
produced film by director Asif Kapadia
, based on a short story
by Sara Maitland
. It was screened at various film festival
s in 2007 and 2008 before a US DVD
release on September 23, 2008.
Set during an unspecified time and place in the first half of the 20th century (the only clue to the date being the type of military rifles in use), it tells of a woman (Michelle Yeoh
) and her adopted daughter (Michelle Krusiec
), living in the Arctic tundra. The mother's voiceover
explains early on, that a shaman said she was cursed at birth and would bring harm to anyone she cared for. Flashback
scenes reveal how this has previously affected her life. One day the two women find an injured, starving soldier (Sean Bean
). They save him from certain death and emotions are stirred in their cozy yurt
.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
produced film by director Asif Kapadia
Asif Kapadia
Asif Kapadia is a British filmmaker of Indian descent. He directed several award-winning films, including The Sheep Thief , winner of the 2nd Prize Cinéfondation for Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival, The Warrior , which won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film and Senna , winner of the...
, based on a short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Sara Maitland
Sara Maitland
Sara Maitland is a British writer and feminist. An accomplished novelist, she is also known for her short stories. Her work has a magic realist tendency.-Biography:...
. It was screened at various film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
s in 2007 and 2008 before a US DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release on September 23, 2008.
Set during an unspecified time and place in the first half of the 20th century (the only clue to the date being the type of military rifles in use), it tells of a woman (Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng is a Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese actress, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s....
) and her adopted daughter (Michelle Krusiec
Michelle Krusiec
Michelle J. Krusiec born October 2, 1974 in Fallon, Nevada, is an American actress of Taiwanese ancestry.Krusiec was recruited to be one of six globe-trotting travel reporters for the Discovery Channel new series called Travelers...
), living in the Arctic tundra. The mother's voiceover
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X, iOS and iPod operating systems. By using VoiceOver, the user can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility for blind...
explains early on, that a shaman said she was cursed at birth and would bring harm to anyone she cared for. Flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
scenes reveal how this has previously affected her life. One day the two women find an injured, starving soldier (Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
). They save him from certain death and emotions are stirred in their cozy yurt
Yurt
A yurt is a portable, bent wood-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by Turkic nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. The structure comprises a crown or compression wheel usually steam bent, supported by roof ribs which are bent down at the end where they meet the lattice wall...
.
External links
- IMDb Entry
- Far North at Michelle Yeoh Web Theatre
- http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?rid=9698
- http://www.screendaily.com/far-north/4034321.article
- http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934537.html
- http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=166538§ion=review&page=all#reviewnav