Polaris

Hayat has a tough and taciturn temperament and a raw beauty. Disciplined and self-controlled, she navigates her vessel as ship’s captain in a man’s world. We only hear her tortured confessions of inner turmoil from the off, illustrated by images of the desolate natural beauty of the arctic sea, her chosen home. Her childhood has left her with deep wounds, feelings of complete worthlessness and loneliness. But when her younger sister Leila, who lives an irresponsible, naive life in their native country France, becomes a mother, a chance arises to break the vicious cycle of addiction and abandonment in which the family has been caught for generations. In arresting and carefully composed scenes, “Polaris” creates a portrait of two women who could hardly be less alike, yet who are both marked by the past they suffered through together. In a language that is often coarse, they manage to express an engaging warmth and care, even if it is difficult to tame the demons of their childhood.