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The Necessities of Life

Play trailer Poster for The Necessities of Life 2008 1h 32m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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60% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A dedicated nurse keeps an Inuit hunter alive in a hospital intended for white people.

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The Necessities of Life

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Dan Kois Washington Post A well-acted but dreary drama of clashing cultures. Jun 30, 2010 Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills It's a quiet but deeply moving story that arrives at a beautiful affirmation of what we all share as humankind. Oct 14, 2020 Full Review Brian D. Johnson Maclean's Magazine The story, scripted by Bernard mond, is so spare, and its world is so bleak, that Ungalaaq's performance seems to take place in a void. Jan 2, 2018 Full Review Dominic Corry Flicks (AU, NZ, UK) This gorgeous and affecting drama makes a strong case for the simple restorative power of communication. Rated: 4/5 Apr 15, 2010 Full Review Nora Lee Mandel Film-Forward.com Combines poignancy with realism for a touching yet not overly sentimental exploration of an Inuit man and boy's deep need for family and tradition in a Quebec TB ward. Rated: 8/10 Dec 2, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (38) audience reviews
Audience Member Beautiful photography. A heart-rending story which will resonate with everyone who has had contact with indigenous contact experiences. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Fascinating, heartbreaking tale spun like an Inuit legend. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member I'm not one to like art house films much, but this is a really beautiful, emotional one with outstanding acting. I wanted to get to bed as it was 3am, but had to watch this until the end! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member The necessities of life was added to Netflix Canada last week so I was happily surprised as this was #1 on my cinemail queue, meaning I could get it for free instead of wasting one of my 2 mailed DVDs. I digress, this is a film about how an Eskimo is abruptly taken from his family to recuperate from TB in a Quebec City hospital where he doesnt speak any French and finds himself extremely lonely. Its an unusual topic, all things considered but an interesting story nonetheless and it deals with the issues very well. I enjoyed the acting of Natar Ungalaaq very much, he has an expressive face and you cannot help but warm to him, he brings a lot of warmth and character to the role of TiiVii. The ending is incredibly and unnecessarily sad, I got annoyed at that because the film would have been much better for a happy ending I think. The vogue these days is to not do a happy ending but I for one think that the happy ending should make a comeback. Favourite scene : TiiVii and the preist convince the elder to allow him to adopt Kaki by lying about his Catholic credentials. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Classique, mais intéressant. Les thèmes sont abordés avec justesse, et l'acteur inuit est épatant. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member The Necessities of Life is an interesting story of an Inuit who has to leave his family and home behind for medical treatment in Quebec. It explores the cultural gap between Inuits and French Canadians. I enjoyed the drama of the film and it was well acted. I liked how there was no forced humour in the film. Great watch. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Necessities of Life

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A dedicated nurse keeps an Inuit hunter alive in a hospital intended for white people.
Director
Benoît Pilon
Screenwriter
Bernard Émond
Production Co
Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC), Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles (SODEC), Radio Canada Télévision, Téléfilm Canada, Super Ecran, Association Coopérative des Productions Audio-Visuelles, Quebec Film and Television Tax Credit, Astral Media
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 13, 2020
Runtime
1h 32m
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