The Necessities of Life (2008)

How sad is this?

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The scenery of the movie is the first thing that really captured me. By the time I'd decided I'd seen enough of that, the main story had come to life and it's both poignant and optimistic. Probably good for people who want to see how different cultures engage when they are forced to and how tensions develop and are sometimes resolved. Relationships explored: The man and his wife and daughters; The man and the nurse; the man and the other patients; the orphan and the man; the Inuit and French Canadians.This is similar to the story of "El Nido," available on eKindle, which looks at how different cultures interact.It's interesting to see the way that the more educated French Canadians as well as the other French Canadians interact with people from another land.

Seldom seen film that I caught on either IFC or Sundance channel. Story takes place in the 50's and is about an Inuit Canadian that must leave his family in the frozen north where he lives to receive extensive treatment for tuberculosis. Core of the film shows how the Inuit man struggles with his health, his inability to communicate, immersion into a completely foreign environment, and long term separation from the family for which he is the sole provider for. This film is surprisingly powerful and really creates a lot of strong emotions in the viewer. Slow paced but excellent nonetheless. Beautiful landscapes, great acting, interesting characters, and a compelling story make this movie a hidden gem.More people need to see this!

Can the body get well if the spirit is under attack? Here is a movie about the interaction between body and mind, based in the remote Baffin Island region of the Arctic.In a tale of Fifties missionary zeal, we have French Canadians forcing an Inuit man with potentially deadly TB to go far away to "civilization" to heal -- leaving his family behind, perhaps to die of starvation."Who will hunt for them?" Tiivii asks, but no one tries to understand or help. And there is no way he can heal with this question unresolved."Ce qu'il faut pour vivre" gives us an Inuit's eye view of the odd world into which Tiivii is forced -- a world of trees, lawns, buildings permanently embedded in the earth, barbers, toilets, and spaghetti. He fantasizes about the animals he would like to kill, and tries passive forms of suicide more than once.It's only when a young fellow Inuit enters the sanatorium that Tiivii has a chance to get better. Their shared language and culture is the active ingredient in Tiivii's recovery.This excellent film takes what would seem to be a logical turn near its conclusion, and then it ends sadly. One can't help but feel that Tiivii has somehow been co-opted despite his best efforts. The film leaves a very strong and somewhat troubling impression.

And believe me,we need good more good quality films from Canada (and thankfully,I'm pleased to report that this film is said such film). 'Ce qu'il faut pour vivre',or as it is being distributed in English speaking countries as 'The Necessities Of Life' is taken from true accounts of an outbreak of tuberculosis in Canada,as well as North America,from just after the end of World War 2 (1946),until the mid,to late 1950's. In this case,the story centers on Tivii,an Inuit hunter & family man (played by Natar Ungalaaq,star of 'Atanarjuat:The Fast Runner'),who had contracted TB,and had to be detained in Quebec, in the south of Canada,for rest cure. While there,he experiences isolation and loneliness. When he tries to escape & walk the distance back home (without success),he resigns himself to just try & get better. During his stay,he befriends a kind hearted nurse,Carole (played by a radiant Eveline Gelinas,star of several films for Canadian television,as well as cinema),and a young 10 year-old Inuit boy,named Kaki (played by first timer,Paul Andre Brasseur),who turns out to be an orphan. Tivii takes a real shine to both the boy,as well as Carole,and the three form a bond of friendship. Film maker,Benoit Pilon,who's previously directed mainly documentaries for Canadian Television,turns to his first time directing a fictional film (but based on actual events from Canadian history),from a screenplay written by veteran fellow Canadian writer/director, Bernard Emond (The Lady Who Drinks)to create a fine film that can easily touch the heart & warm the human spirit. This was Canada's entry into the Academy Awards for best foreign language film for 2008 (but obviously got the s**t end of the stick). Spoken in Inuktitut & French with English subtitles. Rated PG by the MPAA,this film serves up a rude word,or two,and the horrors of tuberculosis.