Lost in the Barrens (1990)

When your world wise elders tell you not to go into The Barrons... listen to them! They know what they are talking about ! Sure, sure, it was only supposed to be a day canoe trip but there are always those "just around the corner" things you must investigate ! The boys, Nicholas Shields and Evan Adams, play their characters quite believably. Graham Green is his usual wise self and always a pleasure to find in any film.One of the dreaded plot holes for me was just why the school sent Jamie away so close to the end of a semester. NOT to mention just how they keep getting those fires started and manage to ... well... lots of holes.It's basically an "after school teach the kids inter cultural tolerance" kind of picture and as such is pretty watchable but be prepared to use that suspension of disbelief.The BEAR is terrific !

The film begins with our young star James (Nicholas Shields) being kicked out of the private school for financial reasons. He's sadly disappointed, but must go live with a relative Angus (Lee Campbell) in the back woods of Canada. I actually saw the sequel to this first, and searched out part one on amazon. It's so family-friendly, it hurts, but makes for a fine 90 minutes of viewing. Everyone is so polite, they even hand him a bag of sandwiches as they kick him out of the building. James narrates his own story in detail, so this is probably meant for a younger audience. He has many adventures, and learns life lessons the hard way, with Awasis, the Indian native as a guide. Very simple, plain story, so keep those expectations in check. Not bad, though. The beginning is pretty choppy, but it gets better as it goes along.Directed by Micheal Scott, who has been nominated for two Oscars, both for shorts prior to this. Story by Farley Mowat, who had written the novel. Looking over his works, he has written his stories based on the great outdoors. According to wikipedia, Mowat was a devoted naturalist and environmentalist. It also points out that the details in his books were a little shaky, and some of his claims may have been exaggerated.

A young man named Jamie is forced to leave his home and had to go live with his uncle deep in the woods, far from his usual lifestyle of sports and friends. He arrives there, only to detest the new lifestyle he must now get used to. He soon meets his uncle's friends, a tribe who is about to embark on a hunting trip as well as being the test for manhood for Awasis, the youngest. Jamie is pressured to join, despite his reluctance.When Jamie and Awasis become separated from the rest of the tribe, they embark on a mission to find them again, each having to overcome their intolerance for the other's ways. Their mission takes them through many obstacles, their biggest being the barrens, a vast expanse of tundra, wrought with hungry bears, freezing temperatures, and an unforgiving glare from the sun off the snow.Lost in the Barrens is a well made movie with decent acting and gorgeous scenery. Definitely a movie for people who enjoy the outdoors.

A well produced film in which survival and learning how to co-operate with each other in such harsh circumstances is the main theme here. It was amazing to see Jamie and Awasin work well together to survive against the elements the way they did. Sure, they both thought that they weren't going to make it out alive and it was hard to withstand all that. But when it all came down to it they both came through when they had to and as it turned out, they made it back to the cabin alive and well. However I think things would have been a lot different if they couldn't co-operate in the harsh environment together. Fortunately they came through despite the fact that they panicked most of the time.But........ anyways........ that's the reason why I gave this film a 7 out of 10.