A Sean Bean thriller hailed as "unique" and "beautiful" is streaming now for free in the UK. Directed by Asif Kapadia and based on a short story by Sara Maitland, Far North follows two nomads, Saiva and Anja, whose lives are changed when they come across an injured Soviet soldier.
They care for the man, but their lives become increasingly complicated when he falls in love with one of them.
Far North was screened at various film festivals between 2007 and 2008 before receiving a limited DVD release, falling largely into obscurity ever since.
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Speaking to Electric Sheep magazine, Kapadia explained how the hostile location the film is set and shot in became as much a character in it as its starry cast.
"That was a very important part of the story. It was crucial for me to show how dark and extreme and dangerous this place is, and it’s what drives Saiva (Michelle Yeoh) to do what she does," he said.
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"It’s out of desperation that people do desperate things. In a place like that, any food you get is so vital. If they find a seal and they kill it, they’ve got food, they get clothing, you use all the bones to make all of your tools – survival is everything.
"That was one of the reasons why I wanted to film somewhere where you really believe that it’s all about survival. Inherently that was what the short story was about."
Who is in Far North?
• Michelle Yeoh as Saiva
• Michelle Krusiec as Anja
• Sean Bean as Loki
What did critics say about Far North?
Far North received overwhelmingly positive reviews, garnering an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In their review, The Times called Far North a "starkly beautiful, fable-like thriller shot in the Arctic Circle".
Filmstar Magazine hailed it "eerie and absorbing," while Urban Cinephile said it was "tough and confronting".
Shadows on the Wall said: "The freaky finale kind of undermines any sympathy we might have built up, but it adds a level of classical storytelling that makes the film feel utterly timeless."
IMDb users also called the film "unique" with a "shocking twist" that is well worth a watch.
Where can I watch Far North?
Far North is streaming for free with ads right now on Channel 4. Alternatively, you can rent the film on Prime Video for £2.49, or from Apple TV for £3.49.
You can also buy Far North to watch for an unlimited number of times from Prime Video for £5.99, or from Apple TV for £6.99.
Other Sean Bean movies to stream now
Several Sean Bean classics are available to stream right now after you've tuned into Far North, including Derek Jarman's 1988 hit War Requiem, which was also Laurence Olivier's final acting performance. It is available to rent on Prime Video for £2.49, and can also be bought for £6.99.
In the animated action flick Wolfwalkers, Bean voices Bill Goodgellowe, an English hunter tasked with clearing out the wolves around the town of Kilkenny. Released in 2020, Wolfwalkers is streaming right now on Apple TV.
Bean starred alongside Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott in the skin-crawling body horror Possessor, in which a corporate assassin takes control of other people's bodies using brain-implant technology to execute high-profile targets. If you've got the stomach, Possessor is also available to watch on Apple TV as well as horror streaming service Shudder.
No Bean streaming binge would be complete without watching The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, where he stars as Boromir, a noble warrior and prince of Gondor. The film is available on Sky and NOW TV with the cinema package, as well as on Prime Video's HBO Max channel.
Far North is streaming now on Channel 4.
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