The Snow Walker

Short pooper
Kanaalaq (Annabella Piugattuk) sacrifices herself by wandering away, like her mother did back then, to give Charlie (Barry Pepper) a better survival chance. Realizing what she did, he honours her memory and tradition by building an “inukshuk” with her tools under it and continues his trek, finally arriving at an Inuit village.
Longer version
Charlie -who has slowly earned the trust and respect of Kanaalaq through their shared odyssey- convinces himself that they hold a better chance by returning to the original crash site, with the hopes of being spotted by a rescue party. However, as they do so, Charlie realizes there has been no sign of anyone attempting to search or rescue them and, most likely, there will be none, and goes on a despondent rampage, fearing they will be doomed when the harsh winter settles in.

It is here that Kanaalaq, through her lifetime of wildlife traditions, steps up and saves them both by setting up a caribou hunt -which will provide them with enough food and pelts- and an “inukshuk” -a cairn of rocks ceremonially stacked in a certain way- that, as per her people’s beliefs, would lead the herd of caribou to them for hunting. They succeed and are set.

Kanaalaq relays to Charlie a story of her past, in which she ended up an orphan due to her father getting caught and killed in a bad snowstorm and her mother making the painful choice of wandering off into the elements -to never return- so that she and her brothers could survive. She also uses the pelt to create suitable clothing for them both to resist the freezing conditions and they set out to find a North-bound settlement where they could further ask for help.

Kanalaaq’s illness worsens and she becomes weaker as a result, but Charlie, now determined to fight to save her, moves her along using a sleigh he built from the walrus tusks he had been given by the group from earlier. He is hopeful that they will both make it; unfortunately, he wakes up one morning and finds himself completely alone, with no sign of Kanaalaq anywhere. Based on her previous story, he comes to terms with the fact that, knowing she would not make it, she must have done like her mother and wandered off to save him.

Charlie follows some tracks he notices in the snow, which he believes to be hers, but bring him to a white owl -a symbol of wisdom and guidance, for the Inuit-; inspired by this, he builds an “inukshuk” for Kanaalaq, with her personal equipment and the tusks underneath, so she can find her way into the afterlife. after which he carries on with the journey. The movie ends with Charlie arriving at a small Inuit settlement far North, where he is warmly received by the locals.