Original subtitles

People from outside often wonder,

why we have so many different words for "ice".

But for us Inuit

ice is more than just a word.

It is our soul!

How is Inuk?

Inuk? Are you all right?

Kivioq! How's the ice?

Looks all right.

No!

No!

No!

Daddy?

During countless years we survived,

by following in the footsteps of our ancestors in the ice.

But their traces are gradually disappearing.

I'm no longer a child,

There's nothing more to do here

The city is too small There's only one thing to do...

Inuk! I wrote a new song.

I want you to listen to it. - Let's hear it.

See you later. -Yeah, see you later.

Been born here

But I have no business here

Everything here is dull

Only one thing to do...

Wants to go to New York, Paris, London and L.A.

Wants to go to New York, Paris, London and L.A.

There is nothing more to do in this Nuuk

Hello, Mother! Hello, Inuk!

Where are you going to?

I'm hungry. Take some of these with you.

I'll soon get my pension!

Our ancestors believed,

that everything has a soul...

Plants, animals,

even the smallest stone.

They said,

that when the mind is in harmony with the world that surrounds him,

we'll never lack for anything.

But our ancestors didn't know the city life.

Are you interested in it?

I'm sorry, try someone else.

Thanks anyway.

ARCTIC GIFT ITEMS

They hail from the north,

from a polar bear hunter, who used to be a shaman.

What should they cost?

Did you see a movie the other night? - Hey, don't touch my fries!

Inuk, did you listen to my song?

Yeah, I like it a lot. It needs a little work.

But otherwise it's good? - Yeah, sure.

Homework finished yet?

Bollocks! I have to go home, or my parents will freak out!

You can finish my fries. See you later!

See you.

Hello, Inuk! - Cheers!

I need another beer!

Massa! Wake up!

There's no more beer!

You're wasting our money on this? - Are you working?

Keep your trap shut!

Inuk! Open the door!

I'm afraid you have to go.

Just doing my job.

Get out of here!

And you don't know what they want?

They want to talk to me.

Probably just some questions. - I have nothing to say.

Just answer.

Please follow me.

Inuk can sit there.

She says, that you were asked to come here,

because Inuk has too often been found outside at night,

often in dangerous environments.

This paper says,

that Inuk was born in the north, in Uummannaq.

Might be good for him to go...

I didn't need a document, to know where he came from.

I could see it in his eyes.

The silence that emanated from him, told me,

that Inuk came from the north,

...a little away from here.

I would like to take care of my son.

The mother says she wishes,

that Inuk stays with her.

It would do you good, it would be good for Inuk's development,

if you lived apart from each other.

Inuk, what do you think of this, to move to Uummannaq?

I would rather stay with my friends.

I want to take care of my son.

You'll be bored in Uummannaq.

There's nothing up there.

No work to do there.

Stop it, Lars.

Will you come back?

She doesn't even come to say goodbye.

Inuk, we have to go now.

We've already been called.

Inuk!

Keep it. - Thanks.

Over the years.

I have met many children like Inuk.

The look in their eyes

tells of the fear, that they had inside of them.

Hello!

Good morning!

You will be living with them.

In this room we always eat together.

Shall we just to see your room?

Shall we go?

Welcome!

Do you like it?

Here, your bag.

Your mother grabbed it.

You can pour it yourself.

One that I've learned through working in the children's home is,

that every child has its own way, to deal with his past.

Inuk, want to play? Minik is not very good.

I don't like games.

Well, he's convinced of it, that pain doesn't exist,

when it's not being talked about.

Hello, Inuk.

Sit down here.

Minik suppresses the pain.

But sometimes it boils up as anger,

and the slightest thing upsets him so...

Stop it! That's mine!

Minik, what's up?

...that he becomes insanely aggressive.

Minik!

Calm down!

But in Inuk's eyes. I could see hope.

And a willpower that told me that he wouldn't just give up.

Naja!

Remember that you must be to be home by six o'clock!

Okay, I will!

Look out!

Are you from the orphanage?

Yeah.

Are you allowed to be still outside?

Hello! How did it go today?

It was as quiet as yesterday.

Let us soon to go hunting in the bay.

There's nothing left to hunt here.

Going on a long trip?

Hello, my beauty! You're welcome for the ride!

Why not, actually?

If you want to drive fast, you better come with me!

Lack of company, do you? - Who will be the lucky man?

All of you!

Any more women want to come along?

You must be good, watch the passengers!

If by that you mean the children, forget it.

What if you get paid for it? - Depends on how much.

It's probably more, than you get with your prey.

His parents named him "Ikuma",

because he was born next to the campfire.

Even before he could say his name,

his father took him to the seal hunt.

The ice speaks to him

and he answers.

They said on the news,

that because of climate change. is getting warmer.

What do you think?

I think you should stop listening to the news.

This one's on me!

Seems all right.

Really?

Here, a rifle.

It's brand new.

With telescopic sight!

Yeah, you wanna buy it?

How much does it cost?

6000.

3000?

6000.

These cartridges here you get

free of charge.

And those.

Sadly, no.

If you want to come, get ready!

Look at the cool pants!

Inuk, are you coming?

Maybe.

Look, they fit you perfectly!

Here you are.

Thanks.

This is a really good rifle.

6000? - Yeah.

Naja!

You ride Minik!

Inuk,

you're riding with me.

Let's go!

Qerni, come on!

Come on now.

Inuk.

You're frozen.

Qerni!

Faster.

Inuk.

Inuk, you're really cold, aren't you?

You need to jump off and walk a little. You'll get warmer.

Hey!

Cool, Inuk!

Inuk! Get back on!

Run! Inuk!

...and so we became five.

Really? We were only 19... unfairly so!

What kind of dogs did you have? - Jacobs.

Ours were from the North.

We had Jacob's dogs. Lazy bastards who wouldn't listen.

They were quick at first...

And in the end ...they've throttled up again.

Unartoq!

Tell us a story from one of your hunting trips.

How you got the first seal you caught.

We're already pretty tired.

We have to turn off the lights. It's almost 11:00.

Unartoq, tell me!

All right.

I killed my first seal, when I was 11 years old.

I saw a hole in the ice... Is it empty?

Suppose this is the hole in the ice,

and then from below the seal,

to take a breath.

With her little muzzle...

Sounds like that!

So I waited outside the hole.

I was nervous because my father was watching.

He's not alive today.

It was freezing cold.

But we had to hang on, since we hadn't bagged anything yet.

Luckily the seal turned up, and I fired.

I caught it,

but it wriggled from my grasp.

I stuck my arm deeper and deeper into the water,

but by mistake I let the seal get away from me under the ice.

Did you get it? - I got it!

I've been hunting by myself since.

I have hunted narwhals, whales and snow foxes,

but haven't found any snow hare.

And polar bears?

No, only one of us... Ikuma.

Really?

Hey! Inuk wears polar bear skin pants!

They're so old-fashioned!

Aviaaja! Hurry up!

Ikuma, there's no hurry.

We must take good care of the boys.

Inuk doesn't know ice very well.

I'm not a babysitter.

I'm a hunter.

Could be,

but we agreed, that Inuk is riding with you,

so he's your responsibility.

You must look after Inuk, like he was Fari, your own son.

I'm not a babysitter. And stop talking about Fari.

After all, we're here, to hunt seals.

If we wait much longer, the seals have disappeared.

Every good hunter knows how

he can keep himself alive.

Even though the ice has gotten worse,

he goes out to his fishing grounds.

But what do you expect? A hunter like Ikuma explaind that,

if we are to survive as a people,

hunting by itself is not enough?

You want some? Are you hungry? - Yeah, a little bit.

Outside on the uneven ground we couldn't stop.

You want some?

There's plenty of coffee.

I also have prepared some snacks.

I haven't got time. I have to take care of the sleigh.

Ikuma!

Stop!

That idiot!

Stop!

Inuk!

Don't play with the whip!

When do we pitch camp?

When the time comes.

Come on!

Stop!

We'll spend the night here. - Where?

Here. Let's get to work.

Naja! Inuk!

Can you get some ice? Over there, from the iceberg.

We need water for the dinner.

You're pretty good at this! Like you've always done this.

I was with my father on a polar bear hunt.

Has your father ever shot a polar bear? - Yeah, lots.

Have you seen one yourself?

When I was a kid.

Where is your father now? - He's gone.

Why are you at the orphanage?

After only a few days on the ice

Inuk began to open up more.

But the wounds are deep,

and so every step

is of great importance.

You son of a bitch! - Inuk!

I'm gonna rip your head off! - Inuk! Leave Minik alone!

Let him go!

Inuk, leave him alone!

You are bad players!

When it starts snowing like this,

it can last for several days.

I hope it cheers up soon.

Hey, why didn't you help Minik?

He can handle it himself.

We were the same at his age.

Life was different back then.

They are not hopeless causes

at the orphanage.

You knew from the beginning, what responsibility you took on.

Inuk, come here.

Look over there.

What do you see?

Nothing.

And over there?

I dunno.

And under you?

Ice.

There are reindeer on land.

There are seals on the ice.

Under us, in the sea,

there's plenty of fish, to feed a lot of people.

But you mustn't think only of yourself.

You must understand, that we can only achieve great things,

if we help each other.

It's no use, to be angry all the time.

Inuk! Are you all right?

You've become really good.

I'm OK.

May I have a look?

Whose is it? - My father's.

Inuk...

...how are you? - Okay.

Are you OK?

I thought that maybe...

...you want a try?

Let's swap.

Have a seat.

Sigarnaq!

It matters, to know how to use the whip.

It's difficult.

The whip... - What?

The whip sucks. - It'll be fine.

The one who controls the whip, can lead the dogs.

Okay.

Inuk!

Show the dogs who's boss.

But always with respect,

because without dogs you're lost on the ice.

It's terrible with this wind. - Yes, it is.

Beautiful mountain up there!

This weather!

Yeah, it's terrible. Let's drive into the fjord.

So I think... It gets better further north.

Maybe there are seals up there.

The visibility is not good enough. Let's stay here for now.

We'll set up camp here!

You need to warm up.

I had said

that you have to dress warmly.

A few years ago I killed my last polar bear.

It was inside the fjord.

I was on the sled, when I suddenly

saw a strange figure.

At first I thought it was a dog.

I stopped dogs to check.

I picked up the binoculars

and saw a huge polar bear.

He was running to a large iceberg

and jumped on its top.

He clung to the ice and pulled himself all the way to the top.

I was so excited,

but I didn't want to miss.

So I had to calm down first.

Through the binoculars I saw...

...that his gaze was aimed right at me.

He looked frightened.

Suddenly felt sorry for him.

Then again, he was my prey.

and I wanted to hunt him down.

But I belonged to him too.

So I thanked him and fired

and I hit him right here.

Then he fell right in front of me.

What did you do with the fur?

Most of it

is right here.

Your pants.

Hello, Ikuma! Hello, Inuk!

Qerni!

Look, the little icebergs.

How small they are.

This year they are smaller than usual.

They really are.

I don't want to drive over such broken ice.

We can not do that with the children.

Such bad ice I haven't seen for years.

As you say,

but further ahead the ice looks good.

I'll move to the land, to get there.

Come on, Sigarnaq!

Pull!

Do as I say!

Inuk!

My dogs are so young,

they're struggling.

Let's try it again!

You want me to push?

Jump and stop them! - What?

Jump off and stop them!

Steady!

Do we stop? - Yes.

Finally...

The Bay of Seals.

Are you really the one great polar bear hunter?

No.

There's one who hunted many more Polar bears when I was hunting.

A great hunter.

He was the best.

A respectable man.

Unfortunately, his little son,

one day was very sick.

He and his wife

decided

to bring him on the sledge

off the estate to the city,

to the hospital.

The ice was no good,

but because they loved their son, they risked it

and started the sleigh.

On the way the ice deteriorated.

The hunter descended, to inspect the ice.

But the ice broke,

and he disappeared.

Despite her great sorrow.

the mother gathered all her strength

and brought her son to the hospital.

Now and again,

I think of the incredible courage

and the willpower of this woman.

Inuk!

Shall we?

Inuk, your turn.

Just go there very quietly.

The head...

...you see him? - I see him.

Through the scope?

Very clearly.

Aim for the head.

Go on, shoot!

Inuk has killed his first seal!

Inuk's a hunter!

Where are the others?

We must all taste!

Minik, would you like the eye?

Why didn't you give me any answer?

To what question?

Why you live in the orphanage.

When I was a kid,

my mother and father

were almost always fighting.

They scolded and screamed.

I don't even remember,

if it really happened, or if it was just a nightmare.

Then, one evening,

it suddenly became very quiet.

Since then

I haven't seen my parents anymore.

Even if it was a long time ago,

I can still hear the screaming

in my head.

I think Naja likes you.

We understand each other.

Are you in love with her?

Now I want to learn how to hunt.

You want to be a hunter?

And let the girls wait?

Good on you!

Stop.

Look, over there. Ikuma sneaks up on me.

An old shaman

once said:

"To be yourself and at the same time

a part of the world around you,

is what defines our identity."

But what happens,

when the world disappears around us?

Qerni! Get out!

Inuk, are you still there? You little bastard!

You are nothing to me!

Ikuma! What are you doing?

Nothing!

You know what I mean?

You're not Fari!

You're not Fari!

Inuk?

Inuk!

Ikuma, Inuk's gone!

Inuk!

Inuk!

Is it you?

Leave me alone!

Inuk!

You have to make up your mind.

You can run away

or go with me.

Forget it.

Go away.

Help!

I've got you!

It's gonna be all right.

There's a hut not far from here.

Inuk, I want you to know...

...I was very young,

when I became a father.

I had a son.

At that time

Greenland was in upheaval.

I did everything I could,

for coping

and to keep up.

But I didn't succeed.

And, um...

...in my desperation

I started drinking.

As it got out of hand,

my wife left with my son

and never came back.

I quite understand you.

I want you to know that,

when you're with me...

...I feel like...

...I'm worth something after all.

I want to thank you for that.

Two days after we came back,

we heard about two hunters,

who were going south of the hunting grounds.

I don't know where they are now,

or when they'll come back.

But I think.., you should know,

that your son has now understood the world,

that we're all trying to live in.

With all its challenges.

He knows now, that "ice" is more than just a word.

Inuk won't be able to pick up the trail again out of sight.

Who's that for?

For my mother.

It's beautiful!

You know what to do?

Yes.

Ikuma.

You can do it!

Go for it! Get it!