Ofelas aka Pathfinder, written and directed by
Nils Gaup
A different
version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E
and http://realini.blogspot.ro/
Ofelas is
the only Norwegian film that I can think of.
And it is a
very interesting proposition.
The story
is about 1,000 years old.
In the wild
territory of Scandinavia, the Tjuder are the villains.
In the
opening scenes, a very cute dog is killed with arrows.
Then the
family, father, mother and daughter of only about six are murdered.
As he is
coming back, the hero can observe from a hill nearby.
He has been
skiing, for the entire action takes place in the snow or on ice.
One of his
skis is slipping down towards the group of savages.
And they
see the boy Aigin.
He makes a
miraculous escape, specific to the action films.
And he is
shot in the arm by an arrow.
In a nearby
village, Aigin falls exhausted.
The
community is worried that the Tchude will reach them, once they hear the story.
It seemed a
bit insensitive to care little, at least apparently, about the ordeal of the
boy and only be concern with the village.
But these
are hard times.
There is a
dispute within the Lapp village.
The leader
and most of the men want to get away from the path of the murderous tribe of
Tchude and abandon the village.
Some argue
in favor of staying.
There is
even a feast fight.
But they
pack and go, with the plan to reach the coast where they will be protected from
the barbarians.
Actually,
they even enjoy the sauna, once they reach a distance, which is a well-known
Nordic invention…
Still I
thought it rather outré, under the circumstances.
Aigin is
left behind alone, or so he thought until three or four men appear and say that
they could not just leave.
A
confrontation with the big band of killers ensues and the small group acts with
courage, but is no match for the superior enemy force.
The old
Pathfinder of the community shows up from the woods- he was isolated in the
forest on account of his magic power.
Raste tries
to create a diversion in order to let Aigin escape, but the plan does not work
when he is surrounded by Tchude men.
Seeing the
torture inflicted upon the suffering Pathfinder, the boy cannot resist anymore
and says to the demons:
I will
guide you if you let Raste alone and they agree, saying that once they get to
the villagers, the boy can return and untie the Pathfinder.
Only once
they get moving, the diabolical leader of this band of sinister men returns to
the injured victim and kills him.
The path to
the fleeing Lapps is difficult and it means descending a treacherous, slippery
path over a mountain.
If Aigin
will make it, he becomes the new Ofelas aka Pathfinder, for the conditions are
hellish and odds stacked against it.
The boy is
brave, resilient, intrepid, gifted, a true warrior and might be capable to find
a way to not only escape, but save the villagers.
-
Or so the audience hopes
When they
see him, the people who are camped at the bottom, where the women enjoyed a
sauna, say that Aigin brings bad luck.
There is
also some humor in this interesting movie:
When a man
opens the door to the sauna where some twenty women and girls are sweating
naked near the fire, he says:
-
I have reached heaven
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