(Ice) floe motion
I could just cry for the aged and wizen Ningiuq and her 10-year-old grandson, Maniq.
There they are, facing death from starvation and hungry wolves in a cave in the remote Arctic region of Canada.
The other members of their village are dead of disease brought by white traders, and these two hardy souls have a limited time on Earth left.
The story of Ningiuq and Maniq, set in 1840, unfolds in “Before Tomorrow,” the final part of a trilogy about the hardy Inuit people, who migrated into what is now Alaska and northern Canada 12,000 years ago.
They survived for all those years — until “civilization” took its toll. You could say that what happened to the Inuits is now happening to all humankind as a result of our indifference.
Eco-politics aside, “Before Tomorrow,” with its faux-documentary look, is worth seeing if only for its scrumptious aesthetic — the sun setting on a tranquil river is beautiful to behold.
But be warned that the film moves at a glacial pace (appropriately, I’d say) and isn’t likely to appeal to fans of Hollywood blockbusters. That’s their loss.
In Inuktitut, with English subtitles. Running time: 93 minutes. Not rated (mature themes). At Film Forum, Houston Street, west of Sixth Avenue.

