By John Corrado
The latest work from Inuk filmmaker Zacharies Kinuk, Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) is a mix of Indigenous legend and storytelling. Set thousands of years in the past, the film follows Sapa (Haiden Angutimarik) and Kaujak (Theresia Kappianaq), a boy and girl who are betrothed to each other, gaining them the names “future husband” and “future wife.”
Kunuk’s film has a magical realist element to it as well, with strange dreams that appear to suggest some sort of prophetic battle, and a grotesque monster that is stalking the outskirts of the village. If some of the visual effects have a low-budget feel, the practical effects of the monster, done through makeup and prosthetics, have a very tactile look. The cinematography by Jonathan Frantz and Thomas Leblanc-Murrayis is also frequently beautiful.
The dreamlike tone and slow pace of Kunuk’s film require some patience. As much as he is weaving a story, he is also capturing the rhythms of life in a traditional Inuit community. Like he did in his most famous film Antanarjuat: The Fast Runner, but also his underrated 2019 film One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk, this is Kunuk not only keeping Indigenous legends and stories alive, but also bringing them to life in a captivating, cinematic way.
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