The Necessities of Life (Ce qu’il faut pour vivre) April 22, 2009

In July 1952, tubercular Inuit Tivii is forced by Canadian medical personnel to leave his family in the far north Baffin Island region of Canada for a sanatorium in Quebec City. Three months later, Tivii is miserable: with an estimated treatment time of 2 years, his outlook is bleak. Up steps well-meaning nurse Carole, who arranges to have French-speaking Inuit orphan boy Kaki transferred to Tivii's ward. Inspired to impart the wisdom of Inuk customs and legends missing from the boy's life, Tivii still has a few heartbreaks ahead of him before his treatment is complete. Directed with dignified compassion by acclaimed documentarian Benoit Pilon, The Necessities of Life studiously avoids hot-button racial issues, preferring a more contemplative approach to its central dilemma. Canada's official Oscar® submission for foreign language consideration, The Necessities of Life asks, with dignity and restraint, at what point is the cure worse than the disease?

A Film By Benoit Pilon
Canada, 2008, 102 minutes, Color

Official Website: http://www.thenecessitiesoflife-themovie.com/