The Necessities of Life

2008
7.6| 1h42m| en
Details

In 1952, an Inuit hunter named Tivii with tuberculosis leaves his northern home and family to go recuperate at a sanatorium in Quebec City. Uprooted, far from his loved ones, unable to speak French and faced with a completely alien world, he becomes despondent. When he refuses to eat and expresses a wish to die, his nurse, Carole, comes to the realization that Tivii's illness is not the most serious threat to his well-being. She arranges to have a young orphan, Kaki, transferred to the institution. The boy is also sick, but has experience with both worlds and speaks both languages. By sharing his culture with Kaki and opening it up to others, Tivii rediscovers his pride and energy. Ultimately he also rediscovers hope through a plan to adopt Kaki, bring him home and make him part of his family

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Reviews

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!
Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
peter-towney The scenery of the movie is the first thing that really captured me. By the time I'd decided I'd seen enough of that, the main story had come to life and it's both poignant and optimistic. Probably good for people who want to see how different cultures engage when they are forced to and how tensions develop and are sometimes resolved. Relationships explored: The man and his wife and daughters; The man and the nurse; the man and the other patients; the orphan and the man; the Inuit and French Canadians.This is similar to the story of "El Nido," available on eKindle, which looks at how different cultures interact.It's interesting to see the way that the more educated French Canadians as well as the other French Canadians interact with people from another land.
Eric I came across this movie just by accident on Sundance Channel. I quickly read the synopsis and decided to give it a chance. Boy, was I pleased. This kind of film is so beautiful in so many ways. It immediately introduces us viewers to a place and to characters we might never come across in life and then asks us to figure out ways to relate on basic human levels to them. Especially because of the terseness of the main character, Tivli, I was made to feel his feelings through his eyes and gestures and the actor certainly did a great job conveying what he did.I was very impressed by the story, the direction, the filming and the acting. Only one thing bothered me - but it was necessary for the film to progress... that is that it did not seem to occur to the doctors and nurses to find someone to act as a translator for Tivli right away. Clearly, the people on the hospital ship had such abilities, so others must have had them too. Perhaps this can be explained away, but I cannot imagine a language barrier such as this being ignored for as long as it was in the story. Otherwise, as I say, great film!
niko88-1 Seldom seen film that I caught on either IFC or Sundance channel. Story takes place in the 50's and is about an Inuit Canadian that must leave his family in the frozen north where he lives to receive extensive treatment for tuberculosis. Core of the film shows how the Inuit man struggles with his health, his inability to communicate, immersion into a completely foreign environment, and long term separation from the family for which he is the sole provider for. This film is surprisingly powerful and really creates a lot of strong emotions in the viewer. Slow paced but excellent nonetheless. Beautiful landscapes, great acting, interesting characters, and a compelling story make this movie a hidden gem.More people need to see this!
evening1 Can the body get well if the spirit is under attack? Here is a movie about the interaction between body and mind, based in the remote Baffin Island region of the Arctic.In a tale of Fifties missionary zeal, we have French Canadians forcing an Inuit man with potentially deadly TB to go far away to "civilization" to heal -- leaving his family behind, perhaps to die of starvation."Who will hunt for them?" Tiivii asks, but no one tries to understand or help. And there is no way he can heal with this question unresolved."Ce qu'il faut pour vivre" gives us an Inuit's eye view of the odd world into which Tiivii is forced -- a world of trees, lawns, buildings permanently embedded in the earth, barbers, toilets, and spaghetti. He fantasizes about the animals he would like to kill, and tries passive forms of suicide more than once.It's only when a young fellow Inuit enters the sanatorium that Tiivii has a chance to get better. Their shared language and culture is the active ingredient in Tiivii's recovery.This excellent film takes what would seem to be a logical turn near its conclusion, and then it ends sadly. One can't help but feel that Tiivii has somehow been co-opted despite his best efforts. The film leaves a very strong and somewhat troubling impression.