THE TUNDRA WITHIN ME - Scandinavian Film Festival

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Date Reviewed: 17/07/2024

Sara Margrethe Oskal’s first feature film was anOfficial Selection of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, the 2024 Göteborg Film Festival, and the 2024 Tromsø International Film Festival. Itvividly illuminates the immense importance of reindeer herding for northern Norway's Sámi culture and society within an enchanting winter landscape, while tenderly exploring the redemptive powers of love, forgiveness, and home. It’s a sincere directorial debut from a former reindeer herder and a poignant exploration of heritage, authenticity, and identity. Featuring an awe-inspiring icy landscape, this drama reveals the depth of connection between the Sámi people, the environment, and reindeer herding. It’s also a beautiful story of new love and returning home.

Sara grew up in a herding family in Kautokeino, herded reindeer for ten years, and holds a PhD in Performing Arts. Her poetry book Tireless Words was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2016.

Set against mesmerising ice-clad landscapes and the ethereal dance of the northern lights, her film is a visual and emotional spectacle, intimately capturing the essence of reindeer herding and nature, weaving a poignant narrative that navigates love's ardour and societal resistance, all the while delving into the rich cultural roots and gender dynamics to be found in the reindeer herding community. It's an exploration of love, heritage, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Risten Anine Gaup plays Lena, a Norwegian village girl from the Sámi culture, turned contemporary visual artist. After living for many years in Oslo, she returns at the height of winter, to her reindeer-herding hometown in Sápmi with her young son in tow, to begin a residency, an ambitious art project exploring the intricacies of gender roles within reindeer herding. But she must confront her past demons when she finds an unexpected new love.

While her mother is enthusiastic about Lena’s return and the opportunity to share Sámi knowledge with her grandson, Lena insists her stay is temporary. While Lena’s life in the south, has offered greater comforts and opportunities as an artist, the shadow of a past decision still fills her with shame and regret. That act is still known in the community and Lena struggles to connect with the herders, many of whom are wary of her intentions. Adding to her woes, Lena is confronted with more conservative attitudes about what Sámi art should be as her provocative works fail to resonate locally.

While researching in the wintry tundra, she falls in love with Mahtte, played by Nils Ailu Kemi, a local hardworking reindeer herder who dreams of becoming the manager of his family’s reindeer but is at odds with his mother. He caught feelings for Lena after seeing her sing in a bar. They grapple with newly emerged feelings as the weight of tradition and expectations from others bears down upon them. Lena is suffocated by the expectations of others in the town, who view her as an outsider. Máhtte’s mother, the matriarch of his family, disapproves of the relationship, thus becoming a formidable barrier to their blossoming romance. Lena’s art is questioned and Lena struggles to find out if her and Máhtte's lifestyles can ever be compatible. Her past threatens to derail their relationship.

Cinematographer, Anders Hoft set scenes against Norway’s ethereal winter landscapes and presents us with a visual spectacle. The film encourages viewers to reflect on practices of their own cultural heritage, why they exist, and how to embrace them in this modern world. Overall, it artfully explores the union of tradition and modernity, the act of resistance, and what it truly means to be “home.”

Content advisory: sexually suggestive scenes.

Reviewed by Gareth Macready