Pathfinder

An epic adventure set in Lapland a thousand years ago, this fuses the mythic simplicity of a folk tale with the kind of lean action that would not disgrace a Kurosawa film. The battle between Good and Evil here involves the peace-loving Lapps and savage black-clad invaders, the Tchudes. When 16-year-old Aigin (Mikkel Gaup) sees his family wiped out by a Tchude raiding party, he flees to a nearby village. The villagers make for the safety of the coastlands, but the vengeful Aigin stays to confront the raiders, only to be captured and forced to act as their pathfinder. Will he lead them to the Lapp settlement, or will he succeed in tricking them into a vital mistake? Shot against a frozen landscape of breathtaking beauty, Nils Gaup's film is supported by a strangely appropriate electronic soundtrack, and although the sudden climax doesn't quite fulfil expectations, has a rivetingly economical narrative development.