This deftly crafted thriller reminds us of how life can change, or end, in an instant. And it speaks to the terrors that can build when one resists accepting responsibility.
I ask myself how I would have reacted. But why, oh why, did Qalli (Josiah Patkotak) reach for a knife? Was he afraid that the victim might hit him next with the shovel? Ah, but that would likely have been survivable. Compared to the horrific way that things turned out, no contest!
Suspense builds in the dynamic of the viewer and certain characters knowing what some of the other personages do not. I know a movie is good when I stop it periodically to get my bearings. That began for me as the boys entered the police station, and the paranoia builds from there. (As I write this, I'm remembering similar dread in my abortive attempt to watch the earlier (2007) "30 Days of Night," also set in Barrow, but in darkest winter, when the sun never rises.)
I sought out "On the Ice" for its location, now restored to its traditional name, Utqiagvik. I happen to have returned from my first trip to Alaska last week. And while Fairbanks was great, it left me curious about more remote parts of the 49th state.
We gain an interesting perspective here on local activities at "the top of the world," dropping in on a party where the guests do karaoke to indigenous rap, and, later, a "singspiration" in memory of a loved one. We also visit with Qalli as he plays cards with or sleeps over at his aka's (grandmother), who addresses him in a First Peoples tongue, while he replies in English.
An internet check reveals that Mr. Patkotak, understatedly excellent in this role, is now the real-life mayor of North Slope Borough. Now that's range!
Also turning in powerful performances are Frank Qutuk Irelan as Qalli's guilt-ridden friend Aivaaq and the actor who plays Qalli's truth-seeking father.
"I can't tell you what kind of person to be -- it's your decision," his dad tells him, perhaps reflecting sentiments of parents everywhere.
This amazing production falters slightly in its final scenes, when the unstable Aivaaq goes a little desperado. Still, this movie is stunning, with much to teach about life in the arctic and elsewhere.
I ask myself how I would have reacted. But why, oh why, did Qalli (Josiah Patkotak) reach for a knife? Was he afraid that the victim might hit him next with the shovel? Ah, but that would likely have been survivable. Compared to the horrific way that things turned out, no contest!
Suspense builds in the dynamic of the viewer and certain characters knowing what some of the other personages do not. I know a movie is good when I stop it periodically to get my bearings. That began for me as the boys entered the police station, and the paranoia builds from there. (As I write this, I'm remembering similar dread in my abortive attempt to watch the earlier (2007) "30 Days of Night," also set in Barrow, but in darkest winter, when the sun never rises.)
I sought out "On the Ice" for its location, now restored to its traditional name, Utqiagvik. I happen to have returned from my first trip to Alaska last week. And while Fairbanks was great, it left me curious about more remote parts of the 49th state.
We gain an interesting perspective here on local activities at "the top of the world," dropping in on a party where the guests do karaoke to indigenous rap, and, later, a "singspiration" in memory of a loved one. We also visit with Qalli as he plays cards with or sleeps over at his aka's (grandmother), who addresses him in a First Peoples tongue, while he replies in English.
An internet check reveals that Mr. Patkotak, understatedly excellent in this role, is now the real-life mayor of North Slope Borough. Now that's range!
Also turning in powerful performances are Frank Qutuk Irelan as Qalli's guilt-ridden friend Aivaaq and the actor who plays Qalli's truth-seeking father.
"I can't tell you what kind of person to be -- it's your decision," his dad tells him, perhaps reflecting sentiments of parents everywhere.
This amazing production falters slightly in its final scenes, when the unstable Aivaaq goes a little desperado. Still, this movie is stunning, with much to teach about life in the arctic and elsewhere.