BigLaxFan94 This is another great outdoor film where a modern-day Jeremiah Johnson lives with nature and all the hardships that go with it. But he doesn't mind them since he is at peace with himself and his surroundings. There was a sad moment when his first dog companion got hit! I cried so much when I saw that! What was so ironic after that was when his new dog companion wasn't really to his liking since it was more of sled dog than a pack dog. He preferred pack dogs more since they could carry goods on their backs whereas sled dogs were more for running. He already had more than enough sled dogs.Anyways... this film earns an 8 out of 10 in my books.

kikopops99 I didn't know how to rate this film since the photography, landscapes, animals etc... were fabulous. However, the storyline was a pretty flat. The premise that trappers are needed to keep nature in balance is absurd. Nature does that all by itself without human intervention. It also bugged me that the trapper kept getting his dogs in deadly situations. I wondered how many sled dogs were actually injured in the making of this film.I really liked the trapper's native wife and wish she had a bigger role in the film. She was a very interesting character, but she basically just step and fetched for the trapper all day long. The trapper had a gorgeous canoe, and great dogs too.The film is basically about a bunch of old guys who don't want to leave the wilderness. However, judging by all the trouble they get into, I think it is high time they move to a retirement community with safe activities overlooking the mountains!

baselli I stumbled across this movie on TV, and its pace and photography somehow captivated me - to be honest - I spent most of the movie trying to determine if it was a documentary or a poorly acted film. Having researched it, I now understand its concept, using the characters to portray themselves, which is what had me "confused" during my first experience. This said, the movie makers deserve a lot of credit for literally weathering the severe climate of its location as well as for some stunning nature photography. I agree with some of the other comments that the use of non-actors to portray themselves in day to day situations often is awkward as their embarrassment can be sensed, however I doubt that its credibility would be the same if real actors would have been used. The movie portrays the harshness of life in the wild, and documents a lifestyle that is soon to be extinguished by the ever expanding modernization. That is clearly shown when the aging trapper friend is shown using a modern snowmobile, and the frequent references to the pending retirement of the "last trapper". Enjoy this film for what it is, particularly if you have young children and enjoy a break from the ever present "Hollywood" portrayal of real life adventurers.

fechy An excellent film. After having caught on - it took me a while, up to the middle of it - I leaned back and let the sumptuous landscapes overwhelm me. In the rapidly evolving 'documentary' genre, director and explorer Nicolas Vanier's film inaugurates a new variant which we could tentatively call "self-fiction".As one would expect from an authentic trapper and his wife, dialogue is sparse. At times, the protagonists' embarrassment before the camera is palpable. Many scenes involving the couple seem posed, and the main incident involving Norman's sled breaking through the ice, (the re-enactment of what may or may not be a true episode) is not convincing. Voice-over representing the inner voice is omnipresent. One is left to wonder whether excellent actors would not have played Norman and May Loo more convincingly than they themselves. The documentary character of the movie might have remained partly intact, the director having resorted to constructs several times. Even so, the narrative arc remains fairly shallow.This is a movie without apparent violence. Yet violence is subliminally present: it is, after all, the violence of the logging companies against nature's treasures which trigger the film's central action, Norman's move to less dis-equilibrated territory. One strongly senses the violence of advancing, all-devouring modern society. This film could not be more different from the 'classic' trapper movies like Jeremiah Johnson' .For having succeeded with this nonviolent portrait of violence, and for having dared the climate and returned with such magnificent photography, Le Dernier Trappeur deserves 8/10.