Restless River

Defying labels, this film is almost more a work of art than a movie. It begins as a kind of character study of Elsa, played wonderfully by Malaya Qaunirq Chapman, a woman of her own mind and spirit. For the first half, Chapman's smiles in the face of insurmountable societal barriers, charming the viewer all too happy to celebrate in her struggles to overcome and prevail.

However, half way through this filmic journey, the time period suddenly advances about 10 years. Directors Cousineau and Ivalu do not prepare the viewer, so we are left jarred by this sudden time change.

Again, the ending marks another jump, which is in one way rewarding for Elsa (who, despite different clothes and surroundings, looks exactly the same) but frustrating for the viewer. We just don't know what has transpired during the years (?) we don't see. It all seems a bit hurried in contrast to the perfectly executed first half.

It's been a few days since I viewed this film and I have thought about it many times. Part of that is the connection to Elsa, the other is a puzzlement over why the second half seems so rushed.