Northern Light is a cinema verite documentary set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It's a slow paced, but powerful look into the lives of three snowmobile racers and their families. Snowmobile racing is the glue holding this loose narrative together, with everyone and everything revolving around the next big race: the Annual I-500 in Sault Ste. Marie.
The three racing junkies lead very different lives off the snow, but bring real passion to their sport. Walt is one of the primary racers, who loves the sport to a fault, and has difficulties making ends meet as a result. While one of his opponents, Isaac is a perfectionist type, with a strong religious background. At many points in the film the racers' stories branch out, and the camera follows their family members whose daily lives have little or nothing to do with racing. At certain points these narrative diversions get a little confusing, but the supporting characters help broaden the film, giving it more depth and humanity.
Northern Light feels slow, with long shots of snow covered highways, trees and starry night skies, but this works well in contrast with the action of the final race. These shots are gorgeous, and paint a beautiful, but also bitter portrait of life 'up north'. I would recommend this film for doc buffs interested in a real slice of life (on ice).