User reviews

I saw this last month at the 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival and myself, being a Swede, it's nice to see a feature film centered on the indigenous Scandanavian peoples, the Sami who have populated the regions near the Artcic Circle of the countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Russian peninsula and live off their vast reindeer herds for food, clothing and trade. Set in 1852 this is based on a true story of an uprising against the authorities in the Sami territory of Norway. A story that has inspired numerous novels and non-fiction books over the years. Elen Skom (Anni-Kristina Jusso) is the film's protagonist who tells her story as the determined and strong willed wife of Mathis (Asle Mathis Gaup) who has become an alcoholic and is in debt to the the local merchant supply and tavern owner, the villainous Carl Ruth ((Mikael Persbrandt). Elen and Mathis have a young boy called Little Aslak named after Mathis brother Aslak. Mathis best friend is Mons (Nils Peder Gaup) and Mathis, Mons and Aslak will become the central characters in leading the revolt against Ruth and his sadistic henchman-turned sheriff Bucht and the newly installed preacher Stockflest who is in Ruth's pocket. Laestadius (noted Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist in a small role)had been the preacher of Kautokeino and his methods were bringing about an end to the rampant drinking and the end of Ruth's business. Ruth pulled strings and brought in a new preacher but the congregation wouldn't attend his services and conducted their own. They also stopped buying their merchant supplies from Ruth and made arrangements with a merchant in nearby Karesando for their supplies. Directed by writer/director Nils Gaup from his story co-written with Nils Isak Eira, the story is close to Gaup's heart as he is a descendant from one who participated in the rebellion over 150 years ago. It's a good story with beautiful winter scape cinematography from Phillip Ogaard and production design from Karl Juliusson. It has an epic feel to it without actually being an epic film. I would give this an 8.0 out of 10 and recommend it.

In 1852, Sami reindeer herders in the Arctic region of Norway were fed up with the Norwegian liquor industry exploiting their tendency to alcoholism, local government officials seizing parts of their herds, and a corrupt state church ignoring it all. They rioted, beating the local priest and killing a merchant and government official. The two men considered ringleaders, Aslak Haetta and Mons Somby, were tried and executed. This incidence is little-known in most of Europe, but in the history of the Sami people it is one of the few tales of resistance to pressure from their southern neighbors and has gained a sort of epic status. Nils Gaups' 2008 film KAUTOKEINO-OPPRORET (The Kautokeino Uprising) depicts this event. The main character of the film is Ellen Aslaksdatter Skum, who with her husband Mathis Haetta, was sentenced to long imprisonment. Ellen is played by Anni-Kristiina Juuso, a Sami actress best known for her role in Aleksandr Rogozhkin's 2001 film KUKUSHKA. The film is multilingual, with the Sami speaking their own language, Swedish used as a lingua franca, and Norwegian heard from a few outsiders. Mid-19th century Norway is depicted in absorbing detail, and watching the film I felt to some degree that I was sharing the challenges of the characters in the frozen north.

The film takes a few liberties with history (the whipping of the priest isn't portrayed, and the rioters are stopped by what seem to be Norwegians instead of their own other Sami neighbors. Still, it's generally factual and really inspires the viewer to go out and learn more about the event. What I really admire about the film is that it doesn't try to portray the murderers as bold defenders of national consciousness: their uprising was something of an act of blind rage and they were betraying their own Christian ideals. Other depictions of the riots, such as Launis' godawful opera "Aslak Hetta", give in to hyperbolic National Romantic feelings, but Gaups' film keeps it on the level.

The Samis aren't often portrayed in films. Not even in the Nordic countries, although their history has some similarities with that of the Native Americans.

Here it's Norway in the early 1850s. The church and the tradesmen sell booze to the Sami men, but unofficial ways of Christianity saves them. This is a threat towards the destructive order and there are counterattacks, which leads to the rebellion.

The script is a little naive and Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt's overacting doesn't make it better. But the historical environment is well painted and conflicts like this one are very rare in movies.

Why 9? Well it takes a lot to watch a film spoken in Sammi with Norwegian subtitles - when you don't speak either language - and come out of the cinema saying "Now that was a good film".

It's based on a true story set in the North of Norway 143 years ago of a Swedish store owner and his desire to supply alcohol to a growing number of Sammi men versus a Sammi wife and her desire to keep the men off the liquor.

It is a great tale and the acting is top drawer. The final scenes are especially poignant.

The irony of a Govt, Church and Business community intent on ensuring the supply of alcohol to a Sammi tribe struggling to cope with the concept of capitalism in a country that today preaches the exact opposite will not be lost on you.

Watch it. You will not regret it.

What a great film! A simple story told in a powerful way. This IS what a film suppose to do. I don't know much about the Lapp/Sami people or their struggles in the past(I regret that) but you can substitute any ethnic/minority group and get a feel of the injustice that's being portrayed. Violence is almost always the product of social injustice. This is a universal stuggle between oppressed and opressor; be it a church, a state or corporation. Greed is a fire that burns all, at the end. Ars Gratia Artis "Art for the sake of Art" seems to be the motto of most films nowadays. Not this one. No offense to the artists involved in telling this story. Recommended. 10/10

Ever since Nils Gaup directed Veiviseren (Norwegian title. It is called "Ofelas" in samish, "Pathfinder" in English) one have awaited more of the ice cold and heart warming stuff from the filmmaker with samish (a Lappland people in Northern Scandinavia) relations.

Well, here he's back again many years after having his film Oscar-nominated. This is a different film. A true story of the Norwegian authorities suppressing the Samish minority in the most Northern part of Norway.

The film is beautifully and realistically filmed, and the acting is flawless. And Gaup has not fallen into any trap of making the story any other than it is.

It's got some of the very same feeling as "Ofelas", though set in another time. The Swedish and Danish stars playing the priests and bishops are just as you would expect them to be. Not at all understanding of the Samish peoples daily life in the hash and cold winter of Finnmark.

Nils Gaup has told that he has had plans on making this film for 20 years. Well, here it is. It'll be a price winning movie, surely. Finally another masterpiece from his hand. Enjoy the ever so sad true story! Another great Norwegian movie. There's been quite a movie revolution in Norway the latter years. What a dream come true!

I wont even try to remember all the names here. But it's set in Lappland about 1850, and the lapps is spending they're cash drinking... litterarly breaking apart families. And one man makes a lot of money. Sounds familiar? Yup, it's close to another native tribe far west. Oh, how I learn to despise Bjørn Sundquists priest when he arrives to learn these primitive lapps the respect of Christianity. It's so close to how the Indians were treathed at the same time. And sad. It's a true story, and not shocking. The big authorithies can do anything they want, including taking "tax" on reindeers, meaningless arrests and brutal force against "unchristian meetings". The actors are top notch, including Jamie Lannister as a... bishop! But the important thing is how thing can and will escallate when you take away peoples hope and reason to live. It's not an excuse, but sometimes... wrong is right.

I don't want to be reductive, but let's face it, you're reading this review to decide if this movie is one you want to watch. I don't want to tell you what happens, because I wouldn't want to deprive you of seeing the story unfold for yourself. So no spoilers. I will say that the themes in this movie are universal, particularly the individual's struggle against injustice from those in power.

I suspect every culture has a noted hero who struggled against oppressive authority (e.g., William Wallace, Rob Roy, Pan Singh Tomar, Tadas Blinda, and Ned Kelly). Here, the hero and victim is humble Elen Skum, a simple rural woman who wished to worship in her own way and to protect her family from the scourge of alcohol. While not as exciting a tale as many of her fellow rebels', it is all the more poignant for its simplicity. Elen, a simple, rural mother and wife, stakes it all to save her family. She, and her family and friends, are too innocent to understand the forces arrayed against them, but they are a hard people tempered by an unforgiving climate. Each sides' refusal to give ground ultimately lead to tragic consequences.

Story aside, the acting is amazing. While there were a couple of editing hiccups early in the film, the sparse beauty of the country and the surprisingly good performances(particularly from Ms. Jusso) more than make up for any such quibbles. I really enjoyed the insight into this Nordic culture, and would encourage anyone looking for a thoughtful movie dealing with the theme of oppression to give it a shot.

I'm not a critic and I do not write reviews to be 'helpful' for others. "It's important that I'm sayin' the right sayin'. It's less important that you hear." Words taken from the character "Nell" in "Idioglossia", a stage play that later was adapted by Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster, as producer and as actress.

So here are some glimpses, I hope they will be not very 'off topic' Addiction, social rules, the Word of the Lord and the ones who have to decide either to deliver it as a gift or to promulgate it as a verdict, the different quadrants of law and emotions - this film deals with a lot of things that often seem to be mostly clarified in our world. I think they aren't. So this movie is not only a view to history.

I was very surprised by the bishop. A tall, beautiful, young man, Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau. I would give an extra star for casting him.

When there is a border in a nation, when two or more ethnicities live there then life seems to become more demure, rough, brittle. Anni-Kristiina Juuso (Elen Skum) had played Anni in "Kukushka" some years ago, a movie that shows how difference makes us rich and gives power and health. But for this we need to have individual contact. We're simply lost without this.

I'm an European, I've been to Sápmi and to Kosovo. I can feel how fragile we are. I'm happy that there is peace in the north, and share this world with the Sami people who live in four countries.

At the end you can hear Mari Boine: "And so the spring river opened up again / And so we let ourselves drift with the flood..." Have I went too far away from the movie?