[rhythmic breathing]
When people ask where I'm from, I say,
"Think of the furthest place north you've been."
-["Everything is Everything" playing] -Now keep going.
Keep going.
[engine revving]
Yep, that's us.
Ice Cove, Nunavut.
The heart of the Arctic.
-Now, most Southerners think we're… -[music ends]
[“Ittuu-Laite” playing]
-[music fades] -And while all that's technically true,
-I am a modern Inuk woman. -["Everything is Everything" resumes]
Whatever that means.
All my life, I've tried to do everything right.
I got married out of high school,
started a family, and now he's the town golden boy, and I'm…
his wife.
[joyful music playing]
But it's springtime in the Arctic, which is kind of like our New Year's.
And this year, I'm finally putting myself first.
I'm gonna get a job, reconnect with friends,
be the best mom, and maybe even--
[man banging] Come on, babe. No one's gonna be looking at you anyways.
[music ends]
Coming!
Did I mention "change my life"?
["Welcome to My Island" by Caroline Polachek playing]
♪ Desire ♪
♪ I wanna turn into you ♪
♪ Desire ♪
[music fades out]
-Bye, babies! -[woman] Bye!
-[child] Bye! Love you! -Love you!
Why does Ataata always take the truck?
Grandma's Ski-Doo's way cooler anyway.
[child] I don't think that's gonna hold.
Sure it will!
[“Levitating” by Riit playing]
Hey!
[child] Hi!
Hi!
-["Levitating" continues] -[indistinct chatter]
-[indistinct chatter continues] -[song continues]
[objects clattering]
[music ends]
-[child] Mm-hmm. -[sighs]
-[door opens] -[woman] Hey!
Ullaakkut, Mom!
Mom?
Hey, you said you were dropping off Bun at 10:00.
I'm sorry, I'm early. I just… It's just that…
-[Bun] Hello. -Hi, baby.
I'm applying for a job today.
A job job?
-Yeah. Why is that weird? -[indistinct clattering]
-What was that? -[scoffs]
-I have to open up the shop. Bun? -Ew!
No! No! Give me that.
Let's, uh… You can turn the lights on.
Come on, you. Let's open the store.
Why do you all of a sudden need a job, anyway?
I don't need a job. I want a job.
Is Ting okay? I mean, I thought pilots made good money.
This isn't about Ting or money.
This is about me! I want to have something of my own.
Well, then learn how to sew, 'cause I'm tired of fixing your parkas.
Oh.
-Hey, ladies. -[sighs]
Wrong door, handsome.
Hey, wait. Where were you the fall of '98?
-Uh… -This might sound crazy, but…
are you my dad?
Huh? I thought Santa was my grandpa!
Uh…
I'm not sure what to do with that, so I'm just gonna leave.
-[laughing] -[door opens]
Every time, huh?
Hey.
[kisses] I love you.
I love you.
Hey, be good.
Never.
-Want to help me sort bullets? -Yeah.
[Ski-Doos passing]
[host on radio] The festival schedule is all online, folks.
Yes, the seal hunt is this afternoon.
And, yes, the naming of the festival king and queen is tonight.
And to keep up the sweet spring festival vibe this weekend, here's a classic.
[upbeat music playing]
[Siaja] Ullaakkut, Helen!
Coffee?
Oh, thank you. That is sweet.
But aren't there 50 other things you could be doing as a volunteer?
Hey! Uh, do you have five minutes?
I'd love to run an idea by you.
Five minutes max. My office.
Yes! Okay.
By the way, congratulations on another successful festival.
Suck-up.
Well, thank God it's almost over. I can't do any more 14-hour days.
I know. It's too much for one person.
And everything falls on my desk.
Managing garbage collection, power outages, boil water advisories.
Still, nothing as important as our little four-day festival.
That is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about.
[Helen] Well, chop-chop, Siaja. I'm a busy woman.
You know how the festival is all, "Whoo-hoo! We didn't die this winter!"?
Ah-ah. It's a celebration of life, Siaja.
Exactly! So I've been thinking,
why not have more cultural programming year-round?
Didn't you hear me? I told you I'm exhausted.
Then hire me.
Hire you?
As a program coordinator.
I've put together a list of grants and different opportunities.
I get really cold whenever I have to tell someone
the truth about themselves.
Siaja, you have a wonderful imagination.
And you've been a perfectly adequate festival volunteer.
But you have zero work experience and even less leadership skills.
[hesitatingly] But I see life and beauty everywhere.
-And-- -[door opens]
-Where should I put these fish heads? -Um, uh…
-Deep freezer in the commissary. -All right, thank you.
Look, right now you're thinking about what you need.
I've been here for a while now, and if there's one thing I've learned,
it's that the Inuit culture cares most about what the community needs.
Give my best to Ting.
Captaining his first festival hunt!
You must be so proud.
Okay, here's the plan for tonight.
Pre-drinks at your place, back here for the closing ceremony, and…
-[Colin] Party till midnight. -No, party till dawn, Colin!
Dawn? That's way too late.
[muffled scream]
Something wrong?
[sighs]
I wrote up a whole proposal for a job. Helen didn't even open it.
Why do you even want to work here? I thought you liked playing house.
Because I…
want to make our community a better place.
-[Colin snorts] -[Siaja] Fine!
I need something of my own, okay?
Bun is in school now, and her world's getting bigger.
And I'm jealous of a child. [sighs]
I need this job or I will explode. Or worse, I will…
Become a sinner like your mom?
[Colin] Nah. Your mom's a legend.
Listen, they don't call me the Helen whisperer for nothing.
-Nobody calls you that, Colin. -[Colin] She doesn't know that.
Have you tried crying?
Millie, cost report. Colin, radio. Siaja, beach.
-What about a petition? -Huh?
I'll prove the community wants more cultural programming.
-And then will you hire me? -No.
Helen, please, just give me a chance to prove myself.
Okay, get me 500 signatures.
What? That's like a quarter of the town.
By the end of today.
-Piece of cake. -[door opens]
Hey, Elisapee. You want to be my first signature?
Nope.
["Nuvujakkut" by Joshua Haulli playing]
[people whooping and laughing]
[cheering]
Inuusiq, you want to sign my petition?
[mutters]
Nakurmiik.
[Siaja] Hey, sign right here.
[man] One! Two! Three!
Atii!
Nakurmiik.
[song ends]
-[in English] Hi. -Hi.
Can I get a macchiato?
Hate to break it to you, but you're not down south anymore, Toto.
You think I'm from the South?
-I like the peacoat, though. -Yeah? Thanks.
[chuckles]
-You're making fun of me. -No, I would never.
Not to your face, anyway.
I would do it behind your back, like a respectable, modern Inuk woman.
Oh, I need signatures.
Sure, yeah.
What is this? It's a…
Uh, a petition for community programming.
Like language classes, parka making, coffee nights.
I just feel like we're all a bit starved for connection, you know?
I'll put my number too, in case--
-Siaja! I need to talk to my wife. -No…
[man] Whoa. Okay. Sorry.
My assistant bailed.
It's a bad case of seal finger. I need you to come hunting.
Ting, I'm working.
You're a volunteer, Siaja. Nobody's going to notice you're gone.
-Ting, I put so much effort into-- -I'm sorry.
You know how much this means to me. My dad used to win this event every year.
I want to do him proud.
Fine, I just have to put my--
-Aah! -[Siaja yelps]
-Ting, I gotta put some stuff away. -No. Come on.
Let's go. We gotta get ready. Get your head in the game.
-Hey, do you wanna sign this petition? -Sure.
[on megaphone] Let's take this moment to thank the seals and our hunters!
[all cheering]
[on megaphone] Remember, this hunt is not about prizes, not about glory.
It's about filling our bellies!
[all laughing and cheering]
In the name of Jesus, amen!
-Stop, this isn't church. -Amen!
Listen up. Remember, the Arctic Ocean is freezing cold.
Be safe at the floe edge.
Thank you. Thank you, Helen, for your wisdom.
[clears throat] Now, ready,
-set… -Atii!
[exciting music playing]
[in English] See you at the floe edge!
[music fades]
[sighs]
[Siaja] Um… [clears throat]
Ting, can we talk?
Yeah, babe.
Isn't this great? Look at our life.
We're so lucky, right? Here, take a picture of me.
Uh…
[in Inuktut] C'mon!
Ooh!
-[Siaja in English] So, Ting… -[chuckling]
You like that? I know you like this one.
Nice!
[laughing] I look so good.
-Ting, listen to me. -#KingTing.
#InukHunter.
I asked for a job at the community center.
What?
I need to do something with my life.
You know, something besides being your wife.
[laughs] You can't get a job. Not now.
We agreed I'd stay home till Bun was in school.
She's seven. Right?
Okay. I was gonna wait and tell you and Bun together.
But…
we're having another baby.
I'm not pregnant, Ting.
[laughing] No, it's my cousin.
She's expecting, and she asked us to adopt.
I said yes.
Without talking to me first.
You need this. And Bun needs this.
It's no good for her to be an only kid. You know that.
I don't want another kid, Ting!
I want my own life.
That's really messed up, Siaja.
My mother always said having me was the best thing she ever did.
-Ting, behind you. -I mean, what kind of Inuk woman--
-Ting, a seal! -Oh, shit.
[suspenseful music playing]
[gunshot]
-Ha-ha! Yes! Get the niksik! -[upbeat music playing]
[engine roars]
-Whoa! -[music ends]
[muffled groaning]
[haunting music playing]
[distant whale call]
[mystical music playing]
[Ting] Siaja! Siaja!
[man] You're really lucky to be alive.
Your body's in shock, but you'll be okay.
Our insurance can't handle this.
You're off volunteer duty.
I mean, yes, I lost a seal, but what's a seal compared to a life?
[woman] Thank God you were there to pull her out.
Excuse me a sec.
Siaruttau.
[melancholy music playing]
You made me look like a freaking idiot.
Like I'm a shitty hunter.
You get that, right?
You're an embarrassment.
I gotta go get my gear.
[Colin] You okay?
Can you give me a ride to my mom's?
Yeah.
-You got 20 bucks? -[Siaja chuckles]
[woman] I know, Ting.
Just give it some time.
Yeah. Yeah, I'll talk to her. Okay.
Well, that was your husband calling for the ninth time.
I don't want to speak to him.
Fine, but Ting is Inuk, all right?
He's not gonna play guitar outside your window
like those movies you watch.
I'm so sick of being the good housewife.
I went from taking care of you to taking care of him.
Hey, I've been sober for ten years.
Yeah, and I've barely lived.
Ugh! I need some air.
You're acting like a white girl with options!
["Colonizer" by Tanya Tagaq playing]
-[music stops] -Still good for Bun to sleep over?
-Of course! -[angrily] Thank you!
["Colonizer" continues]
[phone chiming]
[grunting exasperatedly]
[screaming]
[music ends]
["Autobahn" by Bliss Station, Ehiorotbo, Flamingosis playing]
[Colin] This coat is really working for you.
I haven't been to a party in like seven years.
Ting likes to keep me to himself.
[Colin] Well, glad you came. [clears throat]
Partying is like riding a bike while drunk.
Okay, I know how to get drunk.
I'm ready to start my new life. Let's do this.
You are ready to take on the world.
When I fell in the ocean, I think I died and saw Nuliajuk.
Excuse me?
-Hey! I love this song! -["UH HUH" by DijahSB playing]
Whoo! Let's go dance.
Mm, save me some, okay?
Who's the silver fox?
[Colin] That's Alistair.
He's some kind of environmental consultant.
["Stamina" by Neila playing]
Watch it!
-Ting know you're here? -[scoffs] No.
You don't deserve him.
You know what, Lucy?
If you love Ting so much, why don't you go screw him?
[gasping]
Gross! He's my cousin.
[chuckles] So hard to remember who's related.
Come. This way.
Ilaapatsuu!
-Peacoat boy! -Petition girl!
Hey, I heard about your accident. That's… I'm glad you're okay.
-That's crazy. -Aww! Were you worried about me?
Just a little bit.
I'm worried about you. She saw Nuliajuk, as in the sea goddess.
You saw what now?
I don't know.
I saw… something down there.
Shit. You got any shamans in your bloodline?
-Your mom would know. -[man laughs] What?
That's the most Native shit I've ever heard.
Awesome.
-You guys are being serious? -Yeah.
Oh, I'll just…
[glass shattering]
Guys, I bought plastic cups!
[Millie] Ugh, I'll get the broom.
So, you into shamans?
["Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears playing]
[sighs] Look, I'm flattered. Okay?
I just… I don't want to cause problems here.
Yeah, good luck with that.
Well, your husband's overprotective, and I don't want to--
Whatever, city boy.
I am a strong, independent Inuk woman
-who can talk to whoever she wants to. -[drinks spilling]
Maybe you should switch to water.
[gasping]
Not what I meant.
I'm so sick of people telling me what I can and can't do.
Ulani, hit me!
[Colin singing along] ♪ Hit me, baby, one more time! ♪
[all singing] ♪ My loneliness is killing me ♪
♪ And I, I must confess… ♪
[Siaja] Ah, shit.
Hi.
[Alistair] Whoa!
Okay. Seems like you're having a bit of a night.
[scoffs]
What makes you think that?
[chuckles] Here.
I hear you're some kind of fancy consultant.
Only by day.
So, do you know my name too?
No.
-It's Alistair. -It's Alistair.
[both laughing]
Okay. I'm Siaja.
And what do you do around here, Siaja?
-Mm. Technically unemployed. -Uh-huh.
But I've got big plans.
Even if everyone thinks I'm a quiet, little nobody.
That's not the impression I get.
No?
You seem pretty bold to me.
Like a woman who knows exactly what she wants and… just grabs it.
Oh! [stammering] I wasn't expecting that.
[dramatic electronic music playing]
[music fades out]
[Siaja chuckles]
[both laugh]
[door opens]
Oh, hey, boss.
-[Alistair] Hey. -"Boss"?
Hey, uh, you left this at the beach.
-I was gonna give it to Colin, but… -My petition?
-Yeah. -All the signatures?
Wow, thank you!
Ataa!
[in English] We're late for the ceremony! We can come back for the after-party!
Well, gentlemen…
I bid you good evening. Got a dream I need to see through.
-Okay. -Good luck.
[band playing "Nunavut Square"]
[people clapping to the music]
[people whooping]
[music ends]
Okay, give it up for the Ice Cove players, everyone!
Helen, 500 signatures!
Ugh, not now!
Gotta love those Scottish whalers introducing these fresh dance moves
to us Northerners!
And now for the funnest award of the festival,
you know what I'm talking about.
[translating in Inuktut]
[Helen] It's the award for best bum-hopper.
-[cheering] -[woman translating]
And it goes to Alethea Aguille!
[all cheering]
[Helen] Best bum-hopper in town. Look at her go!
And now for best qaviiq.
Shit!
[Helen] Iluuta Nakasuk!
[sighs]
-[Helen] Congratulations. -Where the hell have you been?
Are you drunk?
Yeah, but that's irrelevant.
-What is wrong with you? -[scoffs] You're what's wrong with me.
You're embarrassing yourself… again.
You should go home.
I'm embarrassing?
You don't get to decide for me anymore!
What?
[Helen] Okay. Now the most coveted prize…
What are you…
Wait! This is it.
…king and queen of the festival seal hunt.
And the award goes
to our beloved Ting Miaq!
-Yeah! -[Helen] And his wife, Siaja.
[all chanting] King Ting!
-We gotta go up there. -No, we don't, Ting.
Come on up here, King Ting.
[chanting continues] King Ting!
Congratulations.
Siaja, come stand with your king!
[Ting] Babe, come on!
[all chanting] Siaja!
Siaja!
Siaja, come on. Get up here.
Go on. Get up there!
[all chanting] Siaja!
No! I'm done!
We are done!
[all booing]
Screw all y'all!
[woman 1] Oh my God.
[woman 2] Inna sujurulu?!
-[girl] I didn't do anything! -[woman 3] That's Neevee's daughter.
Give it up for King Ting!
[Alistair] It's good to see you. We'll be in touch.
-[man] Okay. -Hey.
Hey.
Siaja! What are you doing?
Neevee?
Alistair?
Mom?
"Mom"?
What are you doing here? You said you were never coming back!
Oh no.
[Siaja] Wait.
No.
-No. No. No. No. No. No. -[groaning]
Ah, I see you finally met your father.
-["Uja" by Tanya Tagaq] -[retching]
Loser.
[gasping and panting]
["Arnaq" by Elisapie Isaac playing]
[music continues playing]
[music ends]