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| From www.ontheicethemovie.com |
Netflix occasionally has gems. When dogsitting, I have been watching movies. "On the Ice" turned out to be a well-made film using local non-actors who did a great job.
The movie was shot in Barrow, Alaska. There is a lot of snow and ice there, which was weird to see during our thaw and rain. Snowmobiles are the main form of transportation, which remined me of the teens who drive in endless circles around this gas station off 35 by Northfield.
Like the promo materials say, two Inuit teens who are best friends cover up the accidental death of another friend, in the midst of the usual teen romantic turmoil, drinking, and drug experimentation.
Things go south, and the young man playing the protagonist really shines as the good kid who is caught between the values he was raised with by his solid father and grandmother and his best friend, whose father drank himself to death. The friend role involves drunken rages and impulsivity, the stuff of many stilted teen movies and afterschool specials, but the tension between the two keeps it real.
This reminded me that I did not discuss "The Lesser Blessed," the movie based on Richard Van Camp's novel about Tlicho/Dogrib teens in Canada. That movie was similarly well made and acted, creating a bleak and tense atmosphere that did the novel justice. The guy playing the protag, Larry Sole, carries the movie, which also has Benjamin Bratt and Kiowa Gordon.
Both worth checking out:
The Lesser Blessed trailer/ imdb entry
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