Synopsis

Inspired by his favorite novel, The Lord of the Rings, Peter Christian moved to Alaska and became a ranger with the National Park Service in 1994. He has been patrolling and protecting the vast, northern wilderness for thirty years now and has witnessed dramatic changes in that time. As he approaches retirement, he must face the reality that the wilderness and wildlife he swore to protect are suffering from a rapidly warming climate. Embarking on a deeply personal journey into the far north of Alaska, Peter looks back to the novel that inspired him and searches for the path to hope. 

Impact

J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings and its film adaptations by Peter Jackson have become cultural touchstones, attracting and bringing together millions of fans from diverse backgrounds. More than an entertaining fantasy, The Lord of the Rings depicts a complex moral universe in which good and evil often manifest as conflicting attitudes and behaviors toward the natural world. Peter Christian is one of countless readers who have been inspired by Tolkien’s love of nature, and Peter’s story as a National Park ranger is inspiring in its own right. In “Ranger of the North,” viewers see the Alaskan wilderness through Peter’s eyes and, with him, search for hope in the face of a degraded and suffering environment. Like The Lord of the Rings before it, “Ranger of the North” will awaken viewers to the beauty and fragility of nature and offer a fresh perspective on finding hope in troubled times.

Director’s Statement

As a high school English teacher, I tell my students on the first day of class that great literature has the power to change your life. “Ranger of the North” is my effort to show them I mean it.

This film, in other words, is my effort to show viewers what it’s like to absorb a novel — in this case, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings — to such an extent that it shapes the way you think and see the world.

In making “Ranger of the North,” I specifically set out to explore the implications of Tolkien’s understanding that good and evil manifest as conflicting ways to treat nature. Throughout The Lord of the Rings, the heroes display a profound reverence for the natural world, whereas the villains consistently exploit and degrade the land. So what would it look like, in our world, to take Tolkien’s love of nature seriously? 

For many people today, that threat has become overwhelming. Peter himself asks how he can go on in the face of despair and struggles to find an answer. Of course, he does find an answer in Tolkien’s writing.

Ultimately, “Ranger of the North” is about more than Tolkien’s love of nature: It’s about hope. And hope is running short these days. Peter’s story can’t, by itself, give you hope, but “Ranger of the North” might help you discover how to find hope on your own. That’s just what a great film, or great literature, can do.