Qaamarngup uummataa

I saw this at the Danish New Wave series at Lincoln Center. I had always wanted to see a depiction of life in Greenland, and this is it. The program describes the movie in this way: "The first feature film shot totally in Greenland - which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark - HEART OF LIGHT is the story of Rasmus (played by Rasmus Lyberth, a celebrated Greenlandic singer), a man sinking into a mire created by constant unemployment and alcohol. When one of his sons goes on a killing spree, Rasmus turns inward, searching inside himself for the answers to the tragedy that's become his life. He embarks on an extraordinary journey into Greenland's vast, snowy interior; there, amid the towering blue skies, clear light and mountains of ice, he will re-establish contact with the culture he has lost, finding in tradition the strength to cope with the modern."

Yes there is nice scenery; yes you will see actual Greenlandish actors depicting life in Greenland. But beyond that the film holds little interest. Rasmus's finding himself is triggered by encountering a wacky mystic amid the snowbanks and glaciers, who reveals something that connects Rasmus with his past. It's a plot device both silly and so-what.

After the picture, Rasmus Lyberth, who depicted Rasmus, did some singing, which should have been in the movie to make it more enjoyable.