Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: POLARIS [Make Believe Film Festival 2023 - Seattle, Washington - Remote]

The perspective of loss is draped in experience but when a frame of reference is undetermined, it can sometimes take away the impact of what is being seen. In "Polaris", the journey of girl named Sumi (Viva Lee) begins in a primal way that sets the cadence. In a mythical setting, a polar bear protects her in a wasteland that seemingly is within the effects of an ice age or nuclear winter. What conceptually is interesting about the film is the lack of language or the balance of necessity for it. The film's initial intent is simple enough to not worry about it. This is not Mad Max in the Arctic but more integrated to "Beyond Thunderdome" in the full societal breakdown including language (except for the basic needs -- although there is still the use of machines and combustible engines). The violence is swift but not just survival but vindictive in many ways. However it makes the reverse when compassion is shown that much more contextual and felt. Some of the best scenes in the movie are between Sumi and an older woman named Dee, who is vicious in her own right yet shows kindness even when they cannot speak to each other.

Some of the use of sets in the film a interesting including what looks like a car graveyard covered in snow which provides interesting cover for a would-be chase sequence. When a secondary character enters the scene the more mythical elements take hold but because of the lack of dialogue there becomes a lack of expoisition to give relevance to its importance (though it obviously has some). Sumi, as a character. has both sadness and rage, usually together. Her abilities are interestingly shown but their reason for being is elusive. When the film builds to their destination, the result is somewhat anti-climactic...more metaphorical than realistic.This is understandable but with so many strains of possibility (Polaris refers to a star), Sumi's eventual reason for being is less riveting versus the plot progression she seems intent on protecting.

The conflict with would-be marauders is also fairly black and white. Everybody wants to survive but most just kill because they can. That said, there is underlying whimsicality that comes through every once in a while (especially a small sequence involving communication with trees which belies a deeper conservational metaphor since in this world, a derivative of the trees seems to be the only thing sustaining this society). "Polaris" is an interesting parable but its ability to communicate across languages with a standard of understanding throughout most of its runtime is perhaps one of its greatest accommplishments. B

By Tim Wassberg