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Pathfinder

Original title: Ofelas
  • 1987
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
5.9K
YOUR RATING
Mikkel Gaup in Pathfinder (1987)
ActionAdventureDrama

A young Sámi man witnesses a band of vicious raiders slay his family and flees to a nearby village, where he learns he must become a Pathfinder.A young Sámi man witnesses a band of vicious raiders slay his family and flees to a nearby village, where he learns he must become a Pathfinder.A young Sámi man witnesses a band of vicious raiders slay his family and flees to a nearby village, where he learns he must become a Pathfinder.

  • Director
    • Nils Gaup
  • Writer
    • Nils Gaup
  • Stars
    • Mikkel Gaup
    • Ingvald Guttorm
    • Nils Utsi
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    5.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Nils Gaup
    • Writer
      • Nils Gaup
    • Stars
      • Mikkel Gaup
      • Ingvald Guttorm
      • Nils Utsi
    • 36User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 4 wins & 3 nominations total

    Photos28

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    Top cast18

    Edit
    Mikkel Gaup
    Mikkel Gaup
    • Aigin
    Ingvald Guttorm
    • Aigin's Father
    Nils Utsi
    Nils Utsi
    • Raste
    Henrik H. Buljo
    • Dorakas
    Nils-Aslak Valkeapää
    • Siida-Isit
    Helgi Skúlason
    • Tsjuderen med arret
    Inger Utsi
    • Aigin's Sister
    Svein Scharffenberg
    • Tsjuderen, høvding
    Knut Walle
    Knut Walle
    • Tchude Interpreter
    John Sigurd Kristensen
    • Tchude Strongman
    Sara Marit Gaup
    • Sahve
    Anna Maria Blind
    Anna Maria Blind
    • Varia
    • (as Anne-Marja Blind)
    Ellen Anne Buljo
    • Aigin's Mother
    Svein Birger Olsen
    • Diemis
    Sverre Porsanger
    • Sierge
    Amund Johnskareng
    • Heina
    Ailo Gaup
    • Orbes
    Per Mørk
    • Director
      • Nils Gaup
    • Writer
      • Nils Gaup
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews36

    7.15.8K
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    Featured reviews

    8SameirAli

    Nice.

    Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, this film is interesting to watch. Especially the beauty of snow and the landscape. The story is set a long time ago based on myths. Worth watching on a very cold day.
    7mjneu59

    familiar trappings in a fresh setting

    Anyone in the business of storytelling should begin with a good story, which is precisely what Norwegian director Nils Gaup did for his Oscar nominated debut feature, adapting a thousand year old Scandinavian legend about a young boy who rescues a small community of fellow Laplanders from a horde of ruthless invaders. The setting may be exotic (the film was shot almost entirely above the Arctic Circle) but the basic mythic outline can be (and likely has been) translated anywhere, from the American West to "…a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away". Certain elements are by now so familiar they might almost be clichés: the young hero, orphaned by an evil enemy (the Tchudes, dressed all in black and speaking a harsh, guttural language); his refuge with a likewise threatened nearby tribe, who see him as their savior; the medicine man who will guide him to wisdom; and so forth. Gaup knows enough not to embellish an already proved formula, and as a result his film offers brisk, uncomplicated entertainment, with action scenes as thrilling as anything coming out of Hollywood these days. But now that the legend is on film, will future generations of Lapp children learn it from their elders by simply renting a DVD?
    8hopalong_

    What a relief to watch good non-Hollywood movies

    Pure brilliance this is!

    Living very close to the land and culture that's described in the film I really enjoyed this film. The way everything's been explained and displayed in the film is very satisfying. And I might add that it's not required to have an interest in the culture to watch this movie. That is to say that the movie works on every level! Gaup delivers a very strong and entertaining movie. I only wish it can have a broader audience, because it deserves it. I have no problem recommending this film to anyone with a slight interest in movies!
    10kimme

    The first motion picture with the Sami language.

    This beatiful movie is the first motion picture that has been shot with the Sami language as the main language. It has been shot on location here in northern Norway, and the storyline is an old tale that has been passed on by generations by the Sami people. Worth noting is also that both the crew and the cast are mainly Sami people.
    9yokolino

    Much expressions and feelings with few words

    In this movie, people don't talk so much as ordinary movies, however their faces, eyes, gestures express very strongly their feelings, coming danger, hard condition living in the nature.

    Very beautiful movie with beautiful views and pure people.

    Best Emmys Moments

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    Related interests

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    Action
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    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The villains in the film, the "tjuder", are not supposed to be vikings, as some sources claim. Tjud or chud is a term historically applied to several Finnic peoples, in the early Russian annals. They often appear in Sami stories (like the one on which this film is based) as traditional, generic villains. Vikings where a trade among the Norse (Scandinavian) Germanic tribes. Note that the clothing and weaponry of the "tjuder" in the film are very different to the ones used by vikings. The script actually stated the "tjuder" to be eastern. But the filmmakers felt it would be offensive to Russian viewers so they made up a language for them to speak, making their origin rather vague.
    • Quotes

      Raste: Were you sleeping?

      Aigin: Wish I could.

      Raste: Why can't you? Scared of the dark?

      [Aigin nods positively]

      Raste: At daybreak, head for the cost. There are other villages there.

      Aigin: Not for me. I have no village.

      Raste: Your mind is clouded with thoughts of revenge. You must remember we are all but parts of the whole. We are children in a greater family. The Tchudes have forgotten this. Don't you forget it.

      Aigin: My family is dead. I'm all alone.

      Raste: You may feel that way, but you are bound up in the greater family. You are not free, unshakable bonds hold you to us.

      Aigin: How do I trust something that can be seen?

      Raste: Look up there, what do you see?

      Aigin: Only the tent.

      Raste: But what is there between you and the wall of the tent?

      Aigin: You mean there's something there?

      Raste: You see nothing?

      Aigin: No.

      Raste: [grabs him shutting his mouth] You still can't see it? But now you can feel that something is there. You can't see it in the air, but your very existence is tied to it. In this way all things are bound together, intertwined. No man can ever tear himself apart from the whole. But it can happen that you lose sight of the whole. When you does, you become a Tchude: men who lost the path. They stumble blindly towards self-destruction. Listen, and remember what I say: This morning I saw the reindeer bull for the third time in my life. The first time I saw it, I was your age. Then once again, in the prime of my years. Today I am old. The reindeer has come for the last time.

    • Connections
      Featured in Tvennesnack: Episod 4 (2021)

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Pathfinder?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 7, 1989 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Norway
      • Soviet Union
    • Language
      • Saami
    • Also known as
      • Die Rache des Fährtensuchers
    • Filming locations
      • Berlevåg, Finnmark, Norway(on location)
    • Production companies
      • Filmkameratene
      • Mayco
      • Norsk Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $10,628
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,950
      • May 13, 1990
    • Gross worldwide
      • $242,994
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 26m(86 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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