WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
“I’d like to report a missing person”. It’s a statement we’d most likely prefer never to emanate from our mouths, as it associates immediately with not only the absence of someone, but deeper accompanying fears of possible loss, what their fate might be–or have been. This often seems magnified even more when it relates to a child, the efforts more frantic, more attuned to finding them so that they may be reunited with loved ones–a regaining of innocence. That, at least, is the hope. A young girl named Pipaluk (Mila Heilmann Kreutzmann) has awoken to a startling circumstance–her older sister Ivalu (Nivi Larsen) is inexplicably gone. When her father (Angunnguaq Larsen) shows little to no concern for his elder daughter’s disappearance, it sends Pipaluk on a personal journey to find her–no matter what, no matter how, and with a highly unconventional guide.
Next, my Mind:
The impeccability of youth, a mythically guided but fully grounded urgency to discover the truth, and the ominousness of what remains unrevealed all collide with a compelling level of well-designed, effectively executed, visually potent, emotionally stirring force via this Oscar shortlisted 16-minute short film effort from writer/director Anders Walter, and co-director Pipaluk K. Jørgensen, alongside producers Kim Magnusson and Rebecca Pruzan. Based on the graphic novel by author Morten Dürr, the exploration centered on the loss of treasured sisterhood, reflections on childhood’s joys, the desperate demand within for answers, and the harsh realities we don’t wish to acknowledge or confront carries itself with an initially subdued then wholeheartedly dominant intensity that showcases both courage and despair in equal measure as the film chooses to tackle one of the most, sadly, present and delicate subject matters in existence, deeply eliciting feelings of raw anguish, the need for justice, and stronger measures of prevention.
The manner in which this is all taken on is what provides this film with its unflinching punch, as while the narrative does inherently deliver an atmosphere or undercurrent of tension and uncertainty right from the start, it is still presented with a mildly unassuming tone that then slowly begins to expand in magnitude as we watch events unfold. Utilizing a mixture of the present and flashbacks to illustrate its objectives, we’re still left with that degree of enigmatic questioning as to precisely where the story is leading us until once made clear in a heartrending revelation, it will slam into your soul with the strength of a sledgehammer, and rightly so. I’ve always stated that I never mind at ALL when filmmakers create stories with a purpose and message, providing it doesn’t come across as overtly preachy, agenda-driven, or even narcissistic. Instead, this project is the polar opposite, ultimately making us more than aware of the intent but in a way that should VERY much prompt viewers to contemplate its VERY NECESSARY, awareness-raising ambitions.
Even when a particular theme has been done countless times before, they are so often the ones that SHOULD be made known for as long and as often as it takes to even be a part of initiating transformative change and actions. But, this critic will also mention that despite the weighty topic that forms the narrative’s cleverly (even, again, if only initially) disguised core, there is an undeniable beauty and profound artistry the film exudes as well when it comes to how everything is depicted, from the vast expanses of Greenlandic landscapes that are used throughout and the fantastical elements found in ancient stories to the affecting portrait of recollection that is painted through Pipaluk’s excursion, plus even IN the divulgence of buried secrets and their lasting impact. It’s a testament of what I feel is a filmmaker’s goal to find the most evocative means to share the statements their film intends to convey, but still do it, ideally, with a fresh, still meaningful perspective that stays with you, which I fully believe was accomplished here in spades.
Kreutzmann becomes still another in the seemingly endless list of incredible child actors to grace the screen lately that do so with amazingly mature and eloquent performances that firmly belie their age, which is precisely what the young thespian achieves through her role as Pipaluk, the essence of purity who wakes up one morning to the ugly realization that her cherished older sister Ivalu has simply vanished. Getting no assistance from her decidedly apathetic father, a dream she has awakes the desire to seek out her missing sibling, causing her to embark on a travel through pleasant reverie but also abject distress as she seeks to find out what happened. Yet, will this also be a time of her own encounter with that which has been veiled for far too long and the ripple effect it has had on all she’s known? It’s an unvarnished but, as stated above, subtle exposing of facts that unfold over the course of Pipaluk’s search, and Kreutzmann combines utter charm with frantically building angst in truly exemplary fashion, fully endearing us to her and the story.
Nivi Larsen only appears a handful of times throughout the film, though doing so with an understated level of poise and quiet resolve, as the titular title character Ivalu, a beautiful young girl and Pipaluk’s older sister whose life has become one of mysteries yet to be unfolded, much less resolved, though the picture of loving sisterhood that we see portrayed through her shines through with fervent actuality, which only makes her sister’s seeking answers that much more powerful and relevant. Angunnguaq Larsen likewise has little actual time on screen as the girl’s apparently might-as-well-be-absent father but that’s intentional, as when he does, it definitively lends itself to the film’s consistently progressing road of disclosure and unmasking, with his mainly non-verbal performance still highly effective in exhibiting what is needed to maximum degrees.
So, in total, “Ivalu” stands as an imaginative, inspired, and deeply sobering film that is willing to convey its gripping foundational message with convincing authority and heartbreaking candor, wrapping those aims up in a study of humanity both divine and dire.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
