Written and directed by Kirsten Carthew, set in the frozen world of a post-apocalyptic 2144, a young warrior girl raised by a polar bear must fight to survive after she is captured and escapes from brutal rival hunters. Starring: Viva Lee, Muriel Dutil, Khamisa Wilsher, Kara Wooten and Dinah Gaston.
Deciding to make a film using very minimal dialogue which is in an unknown language and not translated is taking a big risk but surprisingly, it works. It’s an interesting idea to play around with communication, body language and connection in a non-traditional way and to ask its audience to pay a little more attention to interpret each situation. However, because that is asking quite a lot from a modern audience, you have to be prepared to give plenty in return and it doesn’t feel like Polaris is achieving that.
It moves quite slowly and the progression can be rocky, mostly because it attempts to follow a Mad Max styled road, when its relationships are actually more interesting. Making it so that these violent or aggressive turns to the story can be distracting rather than enthralling. The same goes for the use of special effects which are of a mixed success. The fantasy qualities to Kirsten Carthew’s direction work well, it has a sense of adventure and isn’t tied too strongly to reality but when it steps further into the surreal, things start to weaken.
Part of the reason why that unusual choice of no dialogue works is the central performance from Viva Lee. She immediately gives us this strong, fierce and wildly capable survivor, who’s not only engaging to watch but being so young, she draws on your protective instincts. It keeps you hanging on to see her tackle each new obstacle, then when you add in Muriel Dutil and Khamisa Wilsher, it’s captivating to watch the different and distinct relationships they build despite the language barrier. There’s a warmth and generosity that lies at the heart of both but the strong friendship that builds between Lee and Wilsher’s characters is one of the Polaris’ biggest strengths.
Polaris has an unusual and challenging concept, Kirsten Carthew sets herself a difficult goal and approaches it with confidence. However, it feels like the execution wasn’t well rounded enough to give the audience a satisfying experience. There needed to be a better balance between how much it’s asking of its viewers versus how much it’s giving them. The stereotypical violent excursions don’t have a lot to offer whereas its quieter moments hold your attention well. It runs a little long and the progression of the story can be messy but it’s shot well and nicely plays with the sci-fi, fantasy and dystopia themes.
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