The original for the Danish short film “Ivalu” – the graphic novel of the same name by Danish writer Morten Dürr, which tells a harsh story of abuse in Greenland – already earned great reviews and won the writer’s prize from the Danish Ministry of Children and Education in 2020. Created by award-winning director Anders Walter, the film based on the novella is also wowing critics and is now even shortlisted for an Oscar.
Set in a Greenlandic village, the story follows the girl Pipaluk as she searches for her older sister Ivalu, who has been the victim of abuse and run away. While the girls’ father has come to terms with the fact that Ivalu is gone, Pipaluk cannot accept the loss and sets out to find her.
The 16-minute film in Greenlandic language shows flashbacks of the sisters’ happy moments together during Pipaluk’s search for Ivalu, and captivates the viewer as the story slowly unravels, not without moving to tears. The overlapping sequences are framed by the vast landscape of Greenland.
Film Threat rates “Ivalu” as “a perfect combination of a mystery thriller and a heart-aching emotional drama”. The Danish Film Institute announced in December 2022 that the film had been shortlisted by the Oscar Academy. On January 24, 2023, the Academy will reveal which shortlisted films will be nominated for an Oscar.
Director Anders Walter already won the Oscar for Best Short Film in 2014 for “Helium”.
Julia Hager, PolarJournal
More on the subject:
