Pathfinder (1987)

Must See Movie...

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I literally had to fight to track down and watch this movie but it worth all the trouble for it. "Ofelas" ("Pathfinder") is one of those pictures that doesn't have the attention it deserves, neither a wider distribution that should have and it will stay in this underrated category for a long time. Even with an American remake made in 2007 (I don't think I'll ever watch for countless reasons, to be exposed later on this review) I don't know if people still talk about this precious gem. But all in all, thank you AMPAS for giving a nomination for this as Best Foreign Film, otherwise it'll probably been overlooked under my radar."Ofelas" works almost like "True Grit" in the sense of the audience seeing a teenager who wants to avenge the murder of his family. But instead of the Old West scenario and someone paying for an old Sheriff to do the job, we have the Scandinavian wilderness of many centuries ago, and this time a boy named Aigin (Mikkel Gaup) joins another tribe to help with his plan but they're not so willing since they're not trained warriors like the Tchudes (the brutal tribe that killed the boy's family) and they're in an astonishing disadvantage with plenty of women and children with them. So, the boy decides to go on his own, improvising an intriguing scheme against those murderers, things to make us gripped through the whole time.It's not about just butchery and vengeance, there's plenty of deep mind-blowing things that rare similar projects can deal with. Transcendental like very few pictures can be, I mean really, you can watch this without the captions on and you'll still have a clue of what the movie is about, "Ofelas" surprised me for its poetic presentation of themes like faith, companion, the power of love and also the power of hate and destruction, translated all that through expressions, actions, very few words and when they're used they're magnificent. The dialog in the tent between Aigin and the tribe "pathfinder" Raste (Nils Utsi) is the high point of the film, when the old man teaches the young man what faith is about. "You still can't see it? But now you can feel that something is there. You can't see it in the air, but your very existence is tied to it. In this way all things are bound together, intertwined. No man can ever tear himself apart from the whole." He goes on. "But it can happen that he loses sight of the whole. When he does, he is like the Tchudes. Men who lost the path. They stumble blindly towards self-destruction." This quote also says everything about the villains of whom we're never able to see them talking. They simply show up on the screen and kill everybody. Why? It's all they have. The actor who plays their leader doesn't say a word, not just because the script says so but also because he's the only member of the cast who isn't from Norway. Yet, even if he had lines he would be the perfect choice for the role thanks to his powerful expressions, frightening and controlling, menacing from the first minute his presence is noted.It's a small film but of a great effect. Perfect in every sense, from the acting, the beautiful cinematography, the scary yet majestuous scenaries of mountains and trees. The action sequences has to be one of the greatest ever filmed, including the fight with a bear; the tragic opening scenes with Aigin running away from the Tchudes; the spectacularly thrilling final moments, very nerve-wracking. With all that in mind, why would anyone bother to see the millionaire budget remake? I don't think all the money in the world could represent everything this movie had: heart, soul and a great meaningful story to present. Do whatever you can to watch it. 10/10

Norwegian-Sami screenwriter and director Nils Gaup's feature film debut which he also wrote, is based on an old Sami legend and was the first Sami feature length film ever produced. It was shot on locations at Kautokeino, Finmarksvidda in Northern Norway and is a Norwegian production which was produced by Norwegian producer John M. Jacobsen. It tells the story about Aigin, a young man who after returning home from a hunting trip witnesses his family being murdered by a group of Russian chudes dressed in black. Though trying to hide, he is discovered some of the men. Aigin manages to flee to his nearest neighbours and tell them what has happened, but a manhunt has begun and the chudes are right behind him.Distinctly and engagingly directed by Norwegian filmmaker Nils Gaup, this historic period film which narrated mostly from the protagonist's point of view, draws a moving portrayal of the internal conflicts a young man experiences when he becomes a pathfinder for the people who killed his family. While notable for it's poignant and atmospheric milieu depictions, brilliant cinematography by renowned Norwegian cinematographer Erling Thurman-Andersen (1945-2002), costume design, editing by Danish film editor Nils Pagh Andersen and use of sound, this character-driven and mythical story about a, at that period in time, minority of indigenous people who are attacked by a group of villains once upon a time in the 11th century, depicts a dense and mindful study of character and contains a powerful score by Norwegian musician Marius Müller (1958-1999), Norwegian composer Kjetil Bjerkestrand and Sami-Finnish writer and musician Nils-Aslak Valkeapää (1943-2001).This finely paced and riveting journey through the highland winter landscapes of Northern Norway which is so rightfully considered one of the greatest Norwegian action films ever made, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure and the fine acting performances by Norwegian actor Mikkel Gaup, Icelandic actor Helgi Skúlason (1933-1996) and Norwegian actor Nils Utsi. A consistently involving and memorable drama which gained, among other awards, the Sutherland Trophy Nils Gaup at the British Film Institute Awards in 1989, the Amanda Award for Best Norwegian Film at the 4th Amanda Awards in 1988 and became the second Norwegian film succeeding Arne Skouen's "Nine Lives" (1957) that was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 60th Academy Awards in 1988.

The photography is beautiful. The story hooks you very quickly. The movie has something for everyone: action, romance, nature, mysticism. I saw it 20 years ago and forgot the name. I posted on IMDb and another viewer knew the movie based on my description. It takes place in prehistoric time, but the characters are very human: you feel as if they are family. While there are subtitles, there is not much dialog: you can follow the movie very well without even looking at them. The photography is stunning. Not only is the scenery gorgeous, but the camera angles and the scene composition is wonderful. This is a movie which will bless you with its memory for the rest of your life.

Pure brilliance this is!Living very close to the land and culture that's described in the film I really enjoyed this film. The way everything's been explained and displayed in the film is very satisfying. And I might add that it's not required to have an interest in the culture to watch this movie. That is to say that the movie works on every level! Gaup delivers a very strong and entertaining movie. I only wish it can have a broader audience, because it deserves it. I have no problem recommending this film to anyone with a slight interest in movies!