Perdidos no Deserto de Neve

A young man is unexpectedly removed from his high school and has to go live in the north of Canada with his trapper uncle who he doesn't know. He doesn't know anything about anything pertaining to this life style or area and he has no desire to learn.

He travels even farther north with some Indians he just met. He ends up lost in the barrens of northern Canada with an Indian boy. They face tremendous hardships.

This is an excellent adventure movie for the whole family. I gave it a 9.

Roger Moncrief

The box has the words "family" stomped all over it, so the happy outcome is never in doubt.

What makes this adventure movie interesting is the very clearly drawn characters of the two 15-year old protagonists.

Orphan Jamie is impulsive and completely self-centred. Native Awasis is steeped in native superstition, a product of abuse in residential schools. Each gradually becomes a little less extreme from their interaction.

Because it is a family film, sex never rears it head, in even the most passing reference. Sex or desire just does not exist in their universe between anybody. I found the complete lack more jarring than had they put in a token reference to somebody having the hots for someone else. It gave the movie an unrealistic Disney feel.

I had some problems with continuity. The boys keep acquiring things as needed without any explanation of where they came from. It reminded me a bit of Mary Poppins' magic bag.

I did not particularly want to watch this movie. I did not want to watch people freezing, starving, killing animals for food and eating revolting things. The movie was my roommate's choice. However, the movie more than held my interest the whole way through.

The film begins with our young star James (Nicholas Shields) being kicked out of the private school for financial reasons. He's sadly disappointed, but must go live with a relative Angus (Lee Campbell) in the back woods of Canada. I actually saw the sequel to this first, and searched out part one on amazon. It's so family-friendly, it hurts, but makes for a fine 90 minutes of viewing. Everyone is so polite, they even hand him a bag of sandwiches as they kick him out of the building. James narrates his own story in detail, so this is probably meant for a younger audience. He has many adventures, and learns life lessons the hard way, with Awasis, the Indian native as a guide. Very simple, plain story, so keep those expectations in check. Not bad, though. The beginning is pretty choppy, but it gets better as it goes along.

Directed by Micheal Scott, who has been nominated for two Oscars, both for shorts prior to this. Story by Farley Mowat, who had written the novel. Looking over his works, he has written his stories based on the great outdoors. According to wikipedia, Mowat was a devoted naturalist and environmentalist. It also points out that the details in his books were a little shaky, and some of his claims may have been exaggerated.

A well produced film in which survival and learning how to co-operate with each other in such harsh circumstances is the main theme here. It was amazing to see Jamie and Awasin work well together to survive against the elements the way they did. Sure, they both thought that they weren't going to make it out alive and it was hard to withstand all that. But when it all came down to it they both came through when they had to and as it turned out, they made it back to the cabin alive and well. However I think things would have been a lot different if they couldn't co-operate in the harsh environment together. Fortunately they came through despite the fact that they panicked most of the time.

But........ anyways........ that's the reason why I gave this film a 7 out of 10.

Poor Jamie (Nicholas Shields). First, he lost his parents to an auto accident. At the time, he was a student at an exclusive school in Toronto and he was able to stay because of his folk' trust fund. Now, alas, the money is gone, just as Jamie is near finishing school and is a star on sports' teams. Therefore, it is a shock when he is told he must leave the establishment and go live with his mother's brother in the wilderness of Manitoba! Talk about a lifestyle change! When the train pulls near his uncle's home, he and another lad, an Indian teen, is dropped off at the same time. This young man, it is assumed, has also been told to leave the school. After a long wait, Uncle Angus picks up Jamie and takes him back to his small, rustic cabin on Lake Winnepeg. There is no school, stores or anything resembling civilization nearby. After a rough beginning, Jamie accepts these changes. Yet, the bookish teen is very reluctant to join a hunting party to find fresh meat, which Angus' insists on. Even before the hunt begins, Jamie accidentally shoots his uncle in the behind, making it impossible for the older man to go. Jamie must go with the strange Indian teen and his father. Things get worse when the boys, egged on by Jamie, go off on their own and end up lost in the "barrens", a place where there are no trees or places of shelter. True, the Indian lad knows a few tricks of survival but will the boys make it home? This is quite a fine family movie, with excellent themes and settings. It has a nice groups of actors, including Grahame Greene, who perform very well. The Canadian interior looks sensational, even the barren lands, and the flick's obvious appreciation of Native American ways is very clear. It also offers fine lessons in learning to get along and understand those who are different from ourselves. Thus, find Lost! Your loved ones will discover its exciting story is just wonderful!