A Long Way North: Review
Our latest stunning blog entry comes from Maya of Glendower Preparatory School who provides a profoundly informative and intelligent review of the film, A Long Way North. You can read her spoiler-free critique below:
A Long Way North (Tout en Haut Du Monde) is a thrilling French Danish animated film filled with many brave characters that you will enjoy watching. This exciting adventure will have you sitting on the edge of your seat with its moments of physical and emotional tension. The director of this wonderful picture is Rémi Chayé whose earlier works include The Secrets of Kells.
The story takes place in St Petersburg, Russia, in the 1880s. Sasha, a young aristocrat, leaves behind her luxurious life to search for her missing beloved grandfather, Oloukine, an intrepid Artic explorer. He and his ship, the Davai, have not come back from their expedition to the North Pole, and are most likely trapped in the ice.
Sasha finds a navigation sheet left by Oloukine, revealing that previous searches were undertaken in the wrong place. Courageous and determined, she convinces an icebreaker's captain to search again and to try and collect the million rubles reward offered by the Tsar.
Deadly dangers face Sasha and the crew as she must learn the importance of surviving in such a cold, harsh habitat, and survive ferocious storms in order to be reunited with her grandfather.
The movie covers familiar themes of family honour, courage, perseverance in the face of adversity and mutual help.
The animations are attractive, the characters are well-drawn and the ice and snow scenes draw you into a dreamy world. You could argue, however, that there is not enough variety in the colours used and landscapes shown. Along the dangerous journey, there will be lots of suspense and tension. I particularly enjoyed the scenes of snow storms on the boat or on foot that the crew had to endure.
Although the end is a bit abrupt, it also leaves place to one’s imagination.
I would recommend this action- and emotion-packed film to children between 6 and 11 years old, as it is an adventurous and imaginative story with breathtaking animation scenes which children will enjoy watching. I would rate this movie 4 out of 5.
Are you looking for fun and educational resources in French for your primary school pupils? Why not check out our online resources available For Kids learning about French language and culture.
Having trouble accessing Culturethèque resources or signing up? Check out our Technical Support page or email us directly at: culturetheque@institutfrancais.org.uk
Discover more at: www.culturetheque.com