Pathfinder (1987)

Wow! Such a good movie.

Wonderful Movie

I wanted to but couldn't!

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

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

This is the story of a 16-year-old boy 1,000 years ago who finds himself fighting alone against the killers of his mother, father and little sister. It's part epic legend on a small scale and part coming-of-age. Whatever you choose to call it, Pathfinder is an exciting and moving tale. The story is set in the northern-most reaches of what is now Scandinavia amongst the nomadic family groups of the Sami, who hunt and herd reindeer. The landscape is beautiful, but harsh and frigid. Aigin returns one day from a hunting trip to see the corpses of his parents and little sister being dumped in a frozen lake through a hole in the ice. They have been killed by the Tchudes, outlaws who prey on the Sami. Aigin is spotted but manages to escape with an arrow in his shoulder to a small family group several miles away. They treat his wound but immediately prepare to flee to the coast. They know the Tchudes are most likely tracking Aigin. The boy refuses to leave. He plans to stay and fight. "What would you do?" Aigin is asked. "Find them. Before they find us." "Find them," one man says. "We're not warriors!" "If they find us," Aigin says, "you know what will happen. We will have to fight. No one will be spared. Not even the children." And he's right. The Tchudes are outcasts, hard, experienced men who take what they want and slaughter everyone they catch. Three of the men decide to stay with him. There is a fight in the snow, with arrows against crossbows and axes. Aigin is captured. He may be brave, but he also is frightened. To save one of the men who has been his friend, he says he will be a pathfinder. He will show them through the icy passes in the mountains to the large encampment on the coast. His friend, of course, is slaughtered as soon as Aigin is out of sight. From here we switch back and forth between the encampment, largely made up of women and children as the men have left for hunting, and the journey through the frigid, snow- swept passes. This 16-year-old boy is up against two dozen killers, led by an utterly ruthless and shrewd leader. Aigin is no match for any of them if it comes to a fight. All Aigin has is his wits and, as we come to realize, a determination to protect the encampment by destroying the Tchudes even if it means sacrificing his own life. This is played out against the feelings of some in the settlement that Aigin is bad luck, that he led the Tchudes to them earlier and may very well be leading them to the coast where they are now. The conclusion is brutal, redeeming and satisfying. Pathfinder works so well, I think, because the story, which is a simple one, is treated in a straightforward, matter-of-fact manner. The emotions and motivations are simple and strong. The acting is plain and effective. Mikkel Gaup, the 19-year-old son of the film's director and writer, Nils Gaup, is a good-looking kid with blue eyes who comes across as exactly who he is playing, a capable young man who is brave and scared and determined. The feelings that start to show between Aigin and the young woman who treated his arrow wound are tentative and very low-key, and they're all the more touching because of that. This is a strong, affecting story with a little myth and legend-making woven in.

Amazing isn't it? It takes a 1000 year-old Lapp legend to put Lucas and "Steven" Schpeilberg in their place. It doesn't cost multi millions of dollar$ to make a brilliant action film. It takes an intelligble script,sensitive acting and spot on directing (oh, and lots of snow). What's happened to the people who made this (including the producers)? Someday studios will realise that a good script and story will go a long way above a load of bangs and unrealistic computer graphics. Ah well! What the hey!

This is a beautiful movie about men and spiritually and what it means to be a spiritual man. The idea of a higher good; universal truths and the role of man on Earth. Man has always been the protector and warrior and this movie portrays that duty in its purest form. This is masculinity distilled and captured sublimely on film. Every male should watch this movie, particularly young American men who are told how horrible they are and how wrong it is to act as their nature dictates by the media and academia. I plead every father in this country to watch this with their sons. This is one of those movies that is great because it transcends simple entertainment and increases the amount of good in the world every time it is watched.