Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Sept 20, 2014 8:36:54 GMT -6
variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-thuletuvalu-1201307101/
A handsomely lensed, fascinating portrait of two communities on opposite sides of the planet undergoing irrevocable changes thanks to global warming.
Jay Weissberg
What better way to raise awareness of global warming than to focus on the people already affected? “ThuleTuvalu” is a handsomely lensed, fascinating portrait of two communities that exist on opposite sides of the planet, yet are unexpectedly connected: Melting ice in northern Greenland will literally drown the island nation of Tuvalu in the South Pacific. Docu helmer Matthias von Gunten examines the shared fate of these disparate peoples, whose way of life is doomed — one destined to be relocated, the other forced to change centuries of tradition. Fests are guaranteeing a vigorous travel schedule, while a 52-minute version will make ideal smallscreen viewing.
The Thule of legend is actually a small Inuit community called Qaanaaq, one of the northernmost inhabited spots in the world. The menfolk traditionally spend months hunting on the ice, but global warming has severely reduced the frozen surface, limiting their prey’s range and making it impossible for the dogsleds to travel the necessary distances. Communities are becoming increasingly isolated as melting ice makes communication via traditional dogsled impossible, fragmenting a people who rely on a precarious interconnectivity owing to the harsh climate.
Tuvalu is literally the polar opposite — as Vevea Tepou says, if you don’t want to work in Tuvalu, no problem! Food is plentiful, and a simple shack easily meets most needs; Tepou should know, since he’s got 21 kids from his six wives (the figure doesn’t include extramarital offspring). All that’s changing though: A mere two-degree increase in the average global temperature spells doom for Tuvalu, which consists of an archipelago of low-lying coral islands that are swiftly being reclaimed by the sea.
To van Gunten’s great credit, he avoids the stereotype of the hard-working hunter vs. the lazy Polynesian, thanks largely to the way he focuses on a few representative families and how they’re coping with rapid change. As a child in Qaanaaq, Rasmus Avike didn’t want to become a hunter, but he’s grown to embrace the traditional lifestyle, and now wonders how he’ll support his family. Fishing seems the likely alternative, although it’s a sea change from the way of life that’s been passed down for generations.
At least the Inuit can remain in the same locale: For the people of Tuvalu, specifically those van Gunten documents on the remote outlying island of Nanumea, the possibility of remaining is dwindling drastically as the sea invades arable land and potable water becomes increasingly scarce. Many islanders are fiercely devout Christians who literally believe God’s promise to Noah, “never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth,” and so expect a miracle. Others are more pragmatic, like Foini Tulafono, who moved her family to New Zealand. Their life, however, is hardly idyllic, deprived of their sense of cohesive identity and reduced to that lowest common denominator of globalized family life, silently eating meals in front of the boob tube. Back on Nanumea, planting salt-tolerant trees may help stem the tide, yet few see this as a viable long-lasting solution to the ever-rising waters.
As the effects of global warming become ever-more obvious, the rate of docus tackling the subject will undoubtedly increase exponentially: “ThuleTuvalu” should be remembered as one of the earliest to sideline impersonal statistics and talking-head scientists, focusing instead on the communities directly affected. Editing by Caterina Mona and Claudio Cea adeptly balances these two drastically dissimilar worlds, and lensing by Pierre Mennel (“Pepperminta”) captures the distinctive beauty of both locales, soon to be lost.
Film Review: 'ThuleTuvalu'
Reviewed at Locarno Film Festival (Appellations Suisse), Aug. 14, 2014. (Also in Visions du Reel, Nyon — competing; Hot Docs Film Festival — World Showcase.) Running time: 96 MIN.
Production
(Documentary — Switzerland) A Look Now! (in Switzerland) release of a HesseGreutert Film, OdysseyFilm production, in collaboration with SRF, SRG/SSR, 3 Sat. (International sales: Accent Films Intl., Montreux, Switzerland. North American sales: Perry Street Advisors, New York.) Produced by Valentin Greutert, Simon Hesse.
Crew
Directed, written by Matthias von Gunten. Camera (color, HD), Pierre Mennel; editors, Caterina Mona, Claudio Cea; music, Marcel Vaid; sound, Valentino Vigniti, Felix Bussmann; sound designer, Roland Widmer.
With
Lars Jeremiassen, Susanne Jeremiassen, Rasmus Avike, Malia Avike, Qulutannguaq Simigaq, Patrick Malaki, Takuao Malaki, Lauti Malaki, Vevea Tepou, Kaipati Vevea, Foini Tulafono. (Inuktitut, Tuvaluan, English dialogue)
A handsomely lensed, fascinating portrait of two communities on opposite sides of the planet undergoing irrevocable changes thanks to global warming.
Jay Weissberg
What better way to raise awareness of global warming than to focus on the people already affected? “ThuleTuvalu” is a handsomely lensed, fascinating portrait of two communities that exist on opposite sides of the planet, yet are unexpectedly connected: Melting ice in northern Greenland will literally drown the island nation of Tuvalu in the South Pacific. Docu helmer Matthias von Gunten examines the shared fate of these disparate peoples, whose way of life is doomed — one destined to be relocated, the other forced to change centuries of tradition. Fests are guaranteeing a vigorous travel schedule, while a 52-minute version will make ideal smallscreen viewing.
The Thule of legend is actually a small Inuit community called Qaanaaq, one of the northernmost inhabited spots in the world. The menfolk traditionally spend months hunting on the ice, but global warming has severely reduced the frozen surface, limiting their prey’s range and making it impossible for the dogsleds to travel the necessary distances. Communities are becoming increasingly isolated as melting ice makes communication via traditional dogsled impossible, fragmenting a people who rely on a precarious interconnectivity owing to the harsh climate.
Tuvalu is literally the polar opposite — as Vevea Tepou says, if you don’t want to work in Tuvalu, no problem! Food is plentiful, and a simple shack easily meets most needs; Tepou should know, since he’s got 21 kids from his six wives (the figure doesn’t include extramarital offspring). All that’s changing though: A mere two-degree increase in the average global temperature spells doom for Tuvalu, which consists of an archipelago of low-lying coral islands that are swiftly being reclaimed by the sea.
To van Gunten’s great credit, he avoids the stereotype of the hard-working hunter vs. the lazy Polynesian, thanks largely to the way he focuses on a few representative families and how they’re coping with rapid change. As a child in Qaanaaq, Rasmus Avike didn’t want to become a hunter, but he’s grown to embrace the traditional lifestyle, and now wonders how he’ll support his family. Fishing seems the likely alternative, although it’s a sea change from the way of life that’s been passed down for generations.
At least the Inuit can remain in the same locale: For the people of Tuvalu, specifically those van Gunten documents on the remote outlying island of Nanumea, the possibility of remaining is dwindling drastically as the sea invades arable land and potable water becomes increasingly scarce. Many islanders are fiercely devout Christians who literally believe God’s promise to Noah, “never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth,” and so expect a miracle. Others are more pragmatic, like Foini Tulafono, who moved her family to New Zealand. Their life, however, is hardly idyllic, deprived of their sense of cohesive identity and reduced to that lowest common denominator of globalized family life, silently eating meals in front of the boob tube. Back on Nanumea, planting salt-tolerant trees may help stem the tide, yet few see this as a viable long-lasting solution to the ever-rising waters.
As the effects of global warming become ever-more obvious, the rate of docus tackling the subject will undoubtedly increase exponentially: “ThuleTuvalu” should be remembered as one of the earliest to sideline impersonal statistics and talking-head scientists, focusing instead on the communities directly affected. Editing by Caterina Mona and Claudio Cea adeptly balances these two drastically dissimilar worlds, and lensing by Pierre Mennel (“Pepperminta”) captures the distinctive beauty of both locales, soon to be lost.
Film Review: 'ThuleTuvalu'
Reviewed at Locarno Film Festival (Appellations Suisse), Aug. 14, 2014. (Also in Visions du Reel, Nyon — competing; Hot Docs Film Festival — World Showcase.) Running time: 96 MIN.
Production
(Documentary — Switzerland) A Look Now! (in Switzerland) release of a HesseGreutert Film, OdysseyFilm production, in collaboration with SRF, SRG/SSR, 3 Sat. (International sales: Accent Films Intl., Montreux, Switzerland. North American sales: Perry Street Advisors, New York.) Produced by Valentin Greutert, Simon Hesse.
Crew
Directed, written by Matthias von Gunten. Camera (color, HD), Pierre Mennel; editors, Caterina Mona, Claudio Cea; music, Marcel Vaid; sound, Valentino Vigniti, Felix Bussmann; sound designer, Roland Widmer.
With
Lars Jeremiassen, Susanne Jeremiassen, Rasmus Avike, Malia Avike, Qulutannguaq Simigaq, Patrick Malaki, Takuao Malaki, Lauti Malaki, Vevea Tepou, Kaipati Vevea, Foini Tulafono. (Inuktitut, Tuvaluan, English dialogue)