The greatest movie ever made..!

Excellent, a Must See

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The first time I saw this film was in the early Nineties on Spanish TV, and I absolutely loved it. It took many years before I got a video copy that I still have, but in recent years I never could find it in DVD here in Britain, which is a shame. I understand that the film was not widely released in cinemas in its time and remains mostly unknown to the general public, which is another shame. "Ofelas" is remarkable for its use of locations, the cinematography and the neat ambiance sounds that fill each shot, making it a real treat to the spectator who almost can feel the snow crunching under his feet and the icy cold air blowing in his face. The Norwegians made a beautiful film that surpasses in storytelling and historical detail Hollywood blockbusters such as "White Fang" or "Robin Hood" (Kevin Costner), made with multi-million budgets and big stars and enjoying expensive publicity campaigns. Mikkel Gaupp is excellent on his role. Both his boyish looks and the naiveté of the character at the beginning of the story make his performance solidly credible as a nobody turned overnight into a hero for his own survival. He weeps when seeing the carnage of his family, then panics when discovered by the killers and then runs desperately for his life without performing any astonishing stunts with the special effects that we have seen so often in Hollywood movies with similar plots. In 82 minutes we get a story that is poetic and full of action and suspense. And a breathtaking catalogue of views of real Lapland, with the Aurora Borealis included, instead of a studio fake with synthetic snow and background shots or plain CGI crap.

This is the story of a 16-year-old boy 1,000 years ago who finds himself fighting alone against the killers of his mother, father and little sister. It's part epic legend on a small scale and part coming-of-age. Whatever you choose to call it, Pathfinder is an exciting and moving tale. The story is set in the northern-most reaches of what is now Scandinavia amongst the nomadic family groups of the Sami, who hunt and herd reindeer. The landscape is beautiful, but harsh and frigid. Aigin returns one day from a hunting trip to see the corpses of his parents and little sister being dumped in a frozen lake through a hole in the ice. They have been killed by the Tchudes, outlaws who prey on the Sami. Aigin is spotted but manages to escape with an arrow in his shoulder to a small family group several miles away. They treat his wound but immediately prepare to flee to the coast. They know the Tchudes are most likely tracking Aigin. The boy refuses to leave. He plans to stay and fight. "What would you do?" Aigin is asked. "Find them. Before they find us." "Find them," one man says. "We're not warriors!" "If they find us," Aigin says, "you know what will happen. We will have to fight. No one will be spared. Not even the children." And he's right. The Tchudes are outcasts, hard, experienced men who take what they want and slaughter everyone they catch. Three of the men decide to stay with him. There is a fight in the snow, with arrows against crossbows and axes. Aigin is captured. He may be brave, but he also is frightened. To save one of the men who has been his friend, he says he will be a pathfinder. He will show them through the icy passes in the mountains to the large encampment on the coast. His friend, of course, is slaughtered as soon as Aigin is out of sight. From here we switch back and forth between the encampment, largely made up of women and children as the men have left for hunting, and the journey through the frigid, snow- swept passes. This 16-year-old boy is up against two dozen killers, led by an utterly ruthless and shrewd leader. Aigin is no match for any of them if it comes to a fight. All Aigin has is his wits and, as we come to realize, a determination to protect the encampment by destroying the Tchudes even if it means sacrificing his own life. This is played out against the feelings of some in the settlement that Aigin is bad luck, that he led the Tchudes to them earlier and may very well be leading them to the coast where they are now. The conclusion is brutal, redeeming and satisfying. Pathfinder works so well, I think, because the story, which is a simple one, is treated in a straightforward, matter-of-fact manner. The emotions and motivations are simple and strong. The acting is plain and effective. Mikkel Gaup, the 19-year-old son of the film's director and writer, Nils Gaup, is a good-looking kid with blue eyes who comes across as exactly who he is playing, a capable young man who is brave and scared and determined. The feelings that start to show between Aigin and the young woman who treated his arrow wound are tentative and very low-key, and they're all the more touching because of that. This is a strong, affecting story with a little myth and legend-making woven in.

Every once in a while, a true gem pops up unexpectedly. This story based on a legend from the Lapps, or Saami, is just such a case in point. Everything in it works. The elements of folklore and the mythic journey come together in an amazing tale of a young man's journey to manhood and redemption. The most amazing thing about this film, however, is its realization in the cultural context from which it belongs. This is a Saami legend, told in the Saami language and Saami actors giving us a deep drink of their rich culture. The scenery is breathtaking in its stark, snow-white beauty. The tale is brutal but life in the circumpolar region we knew as Lappland was often brutal and unforgiving. This is a hearty tale of a hardy people and while it focuses on the journey and heroic adventure of a young man, it is also very much a tale of the Saami people, many of whom still follow their reindeer herds across that barren, frozen landscape today. The film is wonderful in its simplicity and honesty. There are no high dramatic moments, no cars flying across the screen, no explosions with smoke and fire billowing into the air and no open-mouth noisy smooching. As one reviewer noted, Disney, Lucas and Spielberg could well take lessons from this film. It is simply excellent and merely greatly wonderful. My only regret as an anthropologist who specialized in working with pastoral nomads, was that I never worked with the Saami or the Tibetans [viewers who liked this film should also check out Himalaya, for a similar way of life on the other side of the world from the Saami]

I had not heard of Pathfinder (Ofelas) before it was screened on television tonight. My first impression was WOW! The photography and soundtrack were both stunning. The story is straightforward, set in 10th century Lapland, a boy witnesses the slaughter of his family by a marauding tribe, who then proceed to pursue him. He takes refuge in a small peaceful settlement, but it is not long before long the brutal kllers of his family catch up. This film is wonderful in all aspects, everyone involved in its production deserve the highest praise. The film is short but I guarantee you will feel exhausted watching this pursuit in the snow. I would like to recommend Shadow of the Wolf directed by Jacques Dorfman starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Toshiro Mifune another snow spectacular set amongst the Innuit tribe.