The Necessities of Life (French: Ce qu'il faut pour vivre) is a 2008 Canadian drama film directed by Benoît Pilon and starring Natar Ungalaaq, Éveline Gélinas and Paul-André Brasseur.

It received positive reviews and won four Genie Awards, including Best Direction for Pilon, and the Special Grand Prize of the Jury of the Montreal World Film Festival.

In 1952, a tuberculosis epidemic is sweeping Northern Canada, and numerous Inuit are compelled by the government to seek treatment in the lower provinces.

When director Benoît Pilon read Bernard Émond's screenplay, he wanted Inuk actor Natar Ungalaaq as the lead role after seeing him in the 2001 Inuit film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner.

[2] For his role as Kaki, Paul-André Brasseur, who lived in Montreal and spoke French, learned his Inuktitut lines with Ungalaaq's aid.

[9] In Canada, Marc-André Lussier [fr] of La Presse called the film beautiful and Natar Ungalaaq strong and charismatic.

[11] In Maclean's, Brian D. Johnson assessed the film as "an immaculately crafted, deeply distressing drama," albeit difficult to watch given the subject matter.

"[15] Dan Kois, writing for The Washington Post, called the film "thoughtful and, especially at its end, quite touching," but found it unoriginal and blandly directed.