FANTASIA 2022 | MOVIE REVIEW: "Polaris" Brings the Heart and the Heat to a Frozen Planet

9/12 ForReel Score | 3.5/5 Stars

The 26th edition of the Fantasia Film Festival - Montreal’s beloved genre film festival - kicked off this weekend with an electric and thoroughly Canadian sci-fi thriller: Polaris. K.C. Carthew’s festival opener follows Sumi (played by the wonderfully versatile child actor, Viva Lee), a human child raised by polar bears, who struggles to survive in a frozen wasteland. The year is 2101 and marauders roam, killing or capturing anything that isn’t a part of their clan. Sumi, a crafty human-cub herself, attempts to thwart the marauders and bring (back) to life a frozen girl she’s found.

Polaris is every bit as fun as the environment is cold. Filmed in Yukon and the Northwest Territories, Polaris keeps a frantic energy against a frosted backdrop. Lee, though a child actor, sells it during the film’s many violent fight scenes, but it’s in the quieter moments that the young actor really shines. She is a Mad Max, of sorts, just in a far colder zone. 

As in many of the Mad Max films, Polaris is almost entirely without dialogue - and even then, the dialogue that appears is of little consequence. Viva Lee, alongside her co-stars Muriel Dutil and Khamisa Wilsher, enchant with their non-verbal performances. Lee can snarl and shriek with the best of them (them in this case being polar bears), but it’s her gentler side that attached me the most to her character. By relying on her actors, rather than a nifty script, K.C. Carthew is able to craft a more empathetic story than is usually found in the post-apocalypse.

At the heart of Polaris is a never ending struggle for young women to survive. Friendship, enjoyment, and family are all secondary concerns to just basic survival. It is, if not a subtle metaphor, one that is particularly apt for the present moment. While the film’s story may reveal itself to be more nuanced on rewatch, there’s no denying the tangible weighing of female friendship vs. survival at the center of Polaris; nor, is there any denying how heavy that conflict pulls on the heartstrings. 

Don’t get me wrong though, the beating heart of this film is surrounded by some gnarly action. It may not be the first to feature a polar bear, a downed plane, and a group of mysterious marauders (Lost holds that crown as far as I know) but it’s definitely the first film in quite a long time to bring all those set pieces together. Polaris is a badass, emotional rollercoaster, one that brings excitement to a world of winter - and now, to the streets of Montreal.

Acting/Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 1 | Story and Message - 1 | Entertainment Value - 2 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 1 | Reviewer’s Preference - 2 | What does this mean?