The Last Walk is a heartbreaking, but beautiful tribute to the land for which it captures. The gorgeous landscapes are in full view, as are the emotions, and The Last Walk is a stirring portrait.
The film follows two sisters Jessie (Marika Cockney) and Violet (Polly Andrews) in a small community after a heartbreaking accident. One is banished for her mistake, and both struggle with forgiveness in the face of devastation.
The Last Walk is written and directed by Anna Hoover and produced by the Arctic Film Circle, a network of Circumpolar Indigenous Filmmakers.
“My Sadness Almost Took Me To The Skies.”
Hoover crafts an invitation into two sisters’ grief and their personal reactions to tragedy. The film is told in wisps, over the course of its strong thirteen minutes.
The colors shift, visualizing the internal dark cloud of sorrow as we learn their fates. The Last Walk shows what people go through in their relationships with family and spouses, but also traditions of their homeland. There is plenty to admire in this debut, delivering an important new voice in Hoover.
Along with some breathtaking shots, spanning the sky and sea, there is also a terrific use of editing. This, along with the musical choices, all infuse the story with the heavy pain of loss that’ll grip you from its opening. Hoover has a way of presenting a story many of us have experienced in some capacity, but does it with a very personal touch that celebrates local culture. The Last Walk is both memorable and absorbing.
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