Village At The End of the World
Director: Sarah Gavron & David Katznelson
Rating: 4/5
Sarah Gavron made her feature film directorial debut in fiction but her new project sees her step into documentary.
With a population of just 59 hardy souls, Niaqornat, North West Greenland, is not just one of the remotest, coldest and most far-flung corner of the earth: it is the Village At The End Of The World!
Like all villages, Niaqornat has its supporters and detractors amongst the local populace. For some it is paradise, they can’t imagine living anywhere else, for others it’s the last place on earth they want to be.
This fascinating feature documentary from Gavron and Katznelson follows the community over the course of a year as they try their best to save their village.
This is another terrific movie from Gavron that tackles some interesting and thought provoking issues.
We are taken into a completely new community and Gavron gives a very up close and personal view of life in this village. And it is a tough life as the population are having to cope with economic and climate issues that are threatening the way that they live.
Gavron looks focuses on a handful of people, including seventeen year old Lars and elder Annie, and through them we see different aspects of life in the village.
They all have fascinating and absorbing stories to tell and Gavron's directorial style gives each moment of their stories a very personal feel.
The fifty nine people who live in Niaqornat may be facing difficulties but this is a group of people that love life and you can't help but get swept away with their story.
As well as these great personal stories the movie is also beautifully shot as Gavron takes full advantage of the beautiful landscape that surrounds the village.
David Katznelson is a cinematographer and he has just put together some breathtaking shots that really demonstrates the beauty, the power and the dangers of the secluded life that they live.
2013 is set to be a fantastic year for documentaries and Village At The End of the World is one of the stand out films in this genre so far this year.
This is an engaging story from start to finish as Gavron shows that she is just as great with documentaries as she is with fiction. This is a movie that is not to be missed.
Village At The End of the World is out now.
Tagged in Sarah Gavron