ON THE ICE

US, 2012, 96 minutes, Colour.
Josiah Patkotak, Frank Qutuk Irelan.
Directed by Andrew Okpeaha Mc Lean

On the Ice is a feature film from Alaska, a focus on the town of Barrow, an isolated community of native locals. While Alaska is removed from the other states of the United States, a lot of the modern attitudes have taken hold in the North, youth and boredom, unemployment, alcohol and drug addiction and their consequences.

This film focuses on two friends, Qaali and Aivaaq, the former being a quiet young man, rather introverted, planning to go to college, the latter a drink and drug addict with a young child. In the background is the parent generation, some drunk and addicts, others, like Qaali’s father, an officer and involved in search and rescue.

The centre of the plot is the death of a friend of Qaali and Aivaaq, James, also a drinker. There is a fight on the snow between the two drunk men and an accidental killing, with the friends making the decision to hide the body and the sled under the ice and snow. This has repercussions for each of them, Aivaaq becoming emotional and unstable, Qaali trying to decide what should be done and what should be communicated or not.

There is a climax in the snow, Aivaaq feeling the compulsion to take the body back to the town, leaving Qalli to walk back, thinking over what has been done and what will be done in the future.

1. A film from Alaska? Locations, characters, situations? Authentic?

2. The location photography, the town of Barrow, homes, streets, traffic, working stations? The scenes of the ice, the sea? The musical score?

3. The title, reference to location, to the characters and their experience, dangers?

4. The presentation of the local people, the Inuit origins, American, remoteness of Alaska from the other states? Its contemporary experiences, music and dancing? Issues of alcohol and drugs?

5. The opening with the traditional dances, the applauding audience, the young men dancing? The introduction to Qalli and Aivaaq? Their friendship, aged? Qaali and his hopes to go to college? Even dark and his social situation, his young child?

6. The families, evokes father’s death, his alcoholic mother? Qaali and his stable family, his father and search and rescue and other responsibilities?

7. The party, Aivaaq and his drinking, Qalli and his going to see his aunt, playing cards, staying with her, not drinking?

8. Qaali going out on the ice, discovering Aifaaq and James fighting, his intervention, the knife, James being killed, Qaali hitting Aivaaq, to stop him killing James? Recovering consciousness, Aivaaq thinking to kill himself, Qaali and his suggestion that they put James and his sled in the water?

9. The repercussions, the news of James’s death, his family, his father upset, Michelle and telling Qaali about the breakup, fearing she was to blame for the death? Qaali and his affection for Sarah?

10. Aivaaq, his drinking, going for more drugs, inconsistent behaviour, Qaali telling him the truth, believing it, not believing it, thinking that Qalli was taking the blame for him? Going to the wake, the two boys, Aivaaq leaving?

11. The search and rescue, the father and his responsibility? Qaali eventually telling him about Michelle? The father and his earnestness?

12. Out on the snow, Aivaaq and his binding Qaali, taking the body back, to tell the truth?

13. Qaali’s father, the discovery of the body, his being prepared to bury it in the water and snow? His concern about his son, reputation, going to college?

14. The film ending with Qaali walking back in the snow? The future for Aivaaq, for Qaali? The consequences for the inhabitants of Barrow?