Based on an ancient Lapp legend, “Pathfinder” begins with a scene of horror. A 16-year-old boy (the beautiful Mikkel Gaup, not related to the director) witnesses his family’s massacre by a black-clad tribe of marauding warriors called the Tchudes. He escapes to a nearby camp, warning his neighbors, who flee to the ocean for safety. Staying behind in hope of revenge, he’s captured by the Tchudes, who force him to become their “pathfinder.” He must lead them over the mountains so they can attack his fellow Laplanders. Unless i the boy can find a way to trick the Tchudes, his people will be destroyed.
Nominated for an Oscar two years ago as Best Foreign Film, “Pathfinder” is a stirring and simple film, at once brutal and beautiful, suspenseful and mystical. Gaup doesn’t embellish the folkloric with psychological complexity: his characters are defined solely by their actions, his villains are purely evil. The sophistication is all in the filmmaking, which can rival any summer movie for tension. It’s not surprising that Disney has already invested in director Gaup’s second project: the guy’s a natural. Filming in 40-below-zero weather, he’s made a refreshingly hot-blooded movie.
