A powerful story about love, myths and Inuit culture

- Is it a horror? I think and shift uneasily in my seat in Hans Lynge Salen in Katuaq in Nuuk.

The opening scene in “Uiksaringitara” (Wrong Husband) throws the audience straight into something unsettling: a figure in the sea, almost like a distorted creature from myths. It awakens an instinctive feeling of ad.

- What is it?, I think and squeeze my eyes.

Sassuma Arnaa gone wrong.

A child is playing by the water's edge. Suddenly the calm is broken. The creature grabs hold. Chaos. Screams. One child is caught, while the other child barely escapes.

From the very first moment, the film makes it clear: this is not just a love story, it is a tale where fear, myth and loss are closely intertwined.

“Uiksaringitara” (Wrong Husband) is a Canadian drama film directed by Zacharias Kunuk, who previously made his mark with “Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner”.

The film is a historical drama set in Igloolik in Nunavut, Canada, and follows two young teenage lovers Kaujak (Theresia Kappianaq) and Sapa (Haiden Angutimarik).

After a tragic event, they are kept apart, and are driven to seek out a shaman in the hope of being able to be together again.

The surroundings feel familiar and recognizable.

Nature, the hunting life, the kayaks and the tents create a feeling of security, where our values ​​and way of life stand out clearly and respect for the elders and their wisdom is a natural part of life.

Dwelling on the familiar

You almost get the feeling of entering Ole Brandt's family novel tetralogy “Qooqa” and the “Tulluartoq” books, which depict Inuit culture and traditions with great attention to detail.

In the same way, “Uiksaringitara” dwells on the well-known: the values, the way of life and the cultural roots, which give the story both weight and recognition.

One example is when they catch a seal.

The animal is caught, flayed and divided according to fixed traditions, where the liver goes to the oldest first.

A practice that is rooted in Inuit culture - also in places like Ittoqqortoormiit for example.

The film also contains moments of pure warmth. An adult, who cannot hide his excitement, sings lovingly to a child, overwhelmed by the child's sweetness.

The child's soft cheeks and innocence evoke an almost explosive love, where words do not quite work and where the feeling is instead allowed to be expressed through song and gestures.

But beneath the surface, the story also contains both strength and vulnerability. The love between the two is so strong that it survives the separation and brings them back to each other. At the same time, the spirits and ancestors are always present as protective forces.

Yet life is not without darkness - hatred, jealousy and death also leave their mark in the story.

Minimal dialogue

The atmosphere in Katuaq is concentrated. The audience sits quietly, absorbed in the images.

In the one and a half hour long film, there are often scenes without lines. I think that body language plays a big role in our culture, where everything does not need to be spoken.

To experience this on the big screen in a cinema is something very special. The silence gives space for contemplation and reflection, and you get time to let the images work within you.

In this way, the understanding of the film becomes both deeper and more personal. The silence in the film does not feel like an absence, but a necessity.

The film portrays Inuit culture in a strong and nuanced way and at the same time manages to depict the unequal distribution of power between women and men in the society of the time, where men often made the decisions. Marriages were arranged by others, without regard to the wishes of the individual.

In the film, Kaujak ends up being promised away to a man she does not love. But she won't accept it. She refuses to give up and repeatedly asks to be free from the marriage. In her despair, she turns to her mother, her ancestors, and the spirits.

Finally, she gets help, a solution that is not only about herself, but also emphasizes the strength of family ties and the love that reaches across generations.

“Uiksaringitara” serves as a tribute to Inuit culture and as a humane story that can potentially resonate with minority groups globally, regardless of where you live in the world.

I was left with a sense of cultural richness and pride. “Uiksaringitara” shows Inuit culture as something alive and present, where myths, nature, and people merge into one whole.

The film therefore stands not only as a historical drama, but as a strong testimony to a culture that still lives and tells itself through moving images, traditions and community.