Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram) Click here for audio review
I’m an Indian who has spent most of her life in the south of India, in a city where the average temperature hovers around 30 degrees Celsius on most days. So if you ask me to imagine life in the Arctic at minus 30 degrees, I’d picture freezing, bleak, depressing days of gaand-faad thand (translation: cold that would tear my poor coastal bum apart). But Netflix’s North of North introduces a surprisingly bright, colorful, and vibrant side of the Arctic: all seen through the eyes of protagonist Siaja.
“You’re like a cross between Snow White and Pocahontas… Snowcahontas!”
A character aptly coos to protagonist Siaja, played by the gorgeous Anna Lambe. She does look like a princess, even if she doesn’t feel like it. Siaja is a 26-year-old Inuk woman who married too soon and is now attempting to forge her own independent identity in her tiny Arctic village, Ice Cove. Although the brutal cold of the region is fierce, it’s nothing compared to the icy treatment she receives from the tightly knit community when she tries to leave her overbearing, self-centered husband Ting (Kelly William), a hotshot pilot and the town’s golden boy. Ting is Ken to Siaja’s Barbie, except Siaja doesn’t want to play ‘house’ anymore.
The eight-part Season 1 (oh, there better be a Season 2!) of North of North begins with a broke Siaja moving into her mother Neevee’s (Maika Harper) house with her adorable daughter, Bun (Keira Cooper). A single mother herself and a small business owner, Neevee isn’t thrilled to have her privacy infringed upon, but you can’t really let your daughter and granddaughter be homeless, can you? Thus begins Siaja’s mission, which includes finding a full-time job, helping the community, and maybe finding new love on the side.
The cinematography is stunning, capturing life in the Arctic in vivid shades — from seal-hunting expeditions to quirky traditional gaming competitions and the possibilities of shamans existing in families. Viewers unfamiliar with the Inuk way of life will learn a thing or two. An upbeat background score, often repeating an indie track that sounds like someone sexily breathing against someone’s neck (especially during tense or exciting scenes), really helps set the mood in many moments.
Maika Harper’s Neevee is laidback, free-spirited, but feral when needed, making her one of the most interesting characters in the show. The love-hate relationship between Neevee and Siaja would be entertainingly relatable to many viewers. And what makes it more complicated is the fact that Neevee (a recovering alcoholic) clearly has her own closet full of skeletons. So ‘North of North’ also focuses on Siaja accidentally finding out her biological dad’s identity and then attempting to build a relationship with him. Anna Lambe is undoubtedly the standout star of the show; her cheery “never give up” attitude, even when it borders on annoying optimism, is incredibly endearing.
Jay Ryan plays Alistair, a senior researcher for a company looking to build a research facility in Ice Cove, while Braeden Clarke plays his assistant, Kuuk. These two newcomers breathe life into the town’s almost-dead dating scene. Siaja is hilariously encouraged by her two young co-workers to lose her “second virginity” (their words, not mine) and dive into the town’s limited dating pool. So there’s plenty of comedic moments through the episodes, whilst it also deals with more serious themes like dysfunctional familial relationships.
A major subplot of North of North focuses on Siaja’s efforts to win over her new boss, Helen (Mary Lynn Rajskub), to secure a permanent position as her assistant. Helen, the town manager, is comically skeptical of Siaja’s capabilities, but the two eventually build an understanding, their dynamic subtly representing how non-natives (Helen isn’t Inuk) and natives can coexist and support each other. The show also delicately explores why some natives harbor resentment toward ‘outsiders.’
Honestly, while the show is formulaic in parts, its focus on Inuk culture and community sets it apart from typical “finding yourself” stories. But it’s not just the cultural backdrop, the spirited cast makes Siaja’s journey to establishing an identity beyond being the town hottie’s wife a truly binge-worthy experience.
Rating: 4 on 5 stars. Watch ‘North of North’ on Netflix.
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