Just when a young boy named Nathael is about to take part in his first seal hunt, this annual event in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence becomes the focus of a world-wide controversy. This evocative short film effectively combines pastel images with pinscreen animation to show a young person's view of the traditional way of life of the Magdalen Islanders, and their perplexity at the censure of the outside world.
Dim-witted and stuttering Pidol is the brunt of his townsfolk's ridicule. Not even being reconciled to his dad Andres changes his luck, for under Andres' nose Pidol is tormented by his stepmother Husing and stepdaughter Sunshine.
Andreas, who is ten, has been brought up by his grandmother. When she dies, he removes a putto from the crucifix placed upon her, puts it in his mouth and does not speak again.
Ref'at is a judge who is ruling on an important case that witnesses a lot of security interference. Rafiq Al-Henawy has him killed and stages it as a suicide before the ruling.
This half-hour BBC documentary offers a revealing look at Svankmajer at work on "Death of Stalinism in Bohemia," and uses excerpts from his earlier films to trace the development of his unique sensibility.
The boisterous good humor of Jurmala, the nickel-mine owner, is, if anything, only barely dented by the raging battles in Finland before, during and after World War Two.
Comments
Have you watched Nathaël and the Seal Hunt yet? What did you think about it?
