Showing @ Filmhouse, Edinburgh until Wed 19 Jun

Sarah Gavron, David Katznelson / Denmark/UK/Greenland / 2012 / 82 min

As sprawling metropolises groan from ever-growing populations, rural communities lose their dwellers to these hubs, which offer a plethora of social and economic options they cannot compete with. Sarah Gavron and David Katznelson’s simple and unassuming documentary charts a year in Niaqornat, a remote fishing village of less than 60 inhabitants located in Greenland’s barren north. The production focuses on four townsfolk, who explain their community’s isolated existence; Karl, the Mayor; Lars, his estranged teenage son; Ilanngauq, a settled outsider and Annie, the eldest resident.

Struggling after Royal Greenland’s fish-factory closed, like the winter sun, many locals left in order to find employment. As with the seasons’ two extremes, there are two sides to this community. Outwardly (and especially for tourists) they boast the undeveloped practices of the many generations before them; hunting whale/polar bear, welcoming back the sun in spring and even transporting sewage by wheelbarrow. However, the ugly face of modernity lurks behind the rugged but idyllic scenery. Lars’ Liverpool F.C. shirt and socialising through Facebook exemplify mainland modern society’s grip on the youth in this isolated outpost. Coupled with the town’s reliance on exporting fish and it’s clear that while many things remain unchanged, some things have. What this film warmly portrays, is that even at the end of the world, time catches up with you.

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