Synopsis
Solomon Tapatsiaq Uyarasuk was a charismatic young Inuk – an amateur acrobat, musician and poet. A beautiful soul, tormented by his people’s lot, who died far too young. This film is a stirring tribute to the young man. Starting with a celebration of Sol’s life, which ended suddenly in a holding cell under suspicious circumstances, the filmmakers shift into an investigative mode, seeking to uncover the tragedy’s causes and its consequences for a small Arctic community. Malaise and social problems, but also the incredible resilience of Inuit, are revealed through the essential struggle against denial and neglect, so that Sol will not have died in vain.
A word from Tënk
Both a film-investigation and a film-tribute, Sol is also a necessary space for the community of Igloolik to speak out following the tragic death of Solomon, a young Inuit artist who died at the age of 26 in troubling circumstances.
An arrest that goes awry. A detention that leads to his death. The impossibility for the family to see the body. The questions fly and are met with the authorities' indifferent silence. Everyone tries to understand, because in this small community, one suicide often echoes another, reviving the pain and traumas of the past. How can we move forward and think about the future when these upsetting events continually bring back regret, loss and a feeling of powerlessness?
The answers eventually come, belatedly. More than two years after the fateful night, a suicide is confirmed. Doubt persists, confidence is shattered… We finally accept the fact that we will never really know. But as rapper and film protagonist Brian Tagalik poignantly points out, "We don't lose people to suicide, we lose them to residential schools, to assimilation; because they no longer know who they are or what they want to become."
A poignant film that deftly alternates between celebrating the life of this free spirit and unapologetically denouncing the circumstances of his demise.
Jason Burnham
Tënk's programming coordinator
