Tears of the Arctic

Tears of the Arctic, with blockbuster-like production values and immense scope, focuses on the difficulties a group of Inuit whale hunters is facing due to the melting North Pole, the show depicts their hunting sessions without any hesitation or malice, highlighting their often frustrating journey of adaptation. It follows a group of polar bears and the increasingly harsh conditions they're facing, straits which affect the entire Arctic food chain, from reindeer down to sea lions. Just like life, it has its moments of cruelty, of irony which almost smells of black comedy, and poignant reminders of how frail and helpless life can turn out being, be it that of a grumpy Inuit hunter or an entire ecosystem.

By highlighting the most humane traits of this subject, Tears of the Arctic does what many much more prestigious colleagues often forget: making us realize that documentaries are not just about multi-million dollar budgets and arguments which feel distant, or fodder for political discourse. Narrated by legendary veteran actor Ahn Sung Gi and his unmistakably suave aplomb, this little gem helped rewrite the books for what concerns Korean documentaries, and jump-started a revolution which has reinvigorated the once dormant local documentary scene.

Also known as Tears in the Arctic.