‘Folktales’ Review: Anxious Teens Learn New Skills at an Arctic Folk High School

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In the documentary “Folktales,” Oscar-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, who previously explored education and societal influences in their work “The Boys of Baraka” (2005) and “Jesus Camp”, delve into these themes once more. They focus on a group of three teenagers spending a gap year at a Norwegian Folk High School situated 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle, in Pasvik. This nine-month course offers survival skills in the wilderness, dog sledding instruction, and immersion in Norwegian language and culture. The school accepts students from diverse global backgrounds, although details about the selection process, number of students, and costs are not disclosed. However, the significance of the self-assurance and purpose fostered through mastery of these wilderness skills and their practical application is evidently emphasized.

The movie “Folktales” boasts a stunning, untouched backdrop that captivates visually, yet its narrative falls short compared to expectations. The teenage characters could be more developed, and the school storyline doesn’t offer enough turmoil for genuine drama. However, viewers will find themselves drawn to the film’s most engaging aspect – the heartwarming relationship between the inexperienced students and the lively, charismatic sled dogs that make up their team, as they face challenges side by side.

Helmers Ewing and Grady zero in on three young students, aged 19, who seem quite vulnerable but are willing to discuss their lives openly on camera. Among them is Hege, a delightfully rounded girl from a small Norwegian town, still reeling from the loss of her father, who passed away in a dispute last year. Initially, she finds life overwhelming and struggles to be separated from her phone and makeup. However, she shows great resilience, demonstrating a knack for handling dogs during the program. The audience can witness Hege’s transformation throughout her studies, as she eventually steps out without her smartphone, cosmetics, and nail polish.

Another character in the movie is Bjørn Tore, a Norwegian who stands tall and proudly identifies himself as a nerd. He admits to having difficulty forming friendships, but one of the heartwarming moments of the film is watching his budding friendship with Romain, a Dutch guy who’s easy on the eyes but struggles severely with social anxiety. Plagued by self-doubt, Romain dropped out of high school due to his anxiety, and he’s pinning all his hopes on the Norwegian program as a chance to rebuild his life. It remains uncertain whether the other students share the same sense of aimlessness as these three, but the filmmakers make it clear that the program significantly improves the lives of their central characters.

For Iselin and Thor-Atle, two passionate dog-sled instructors, Siberian huskies from Russia serve as a vital tool for tapping into the students’ inner potential. The dogs embrace and cherish the students genuinely. They aid in awakening the students’ “Stone-Age minds,” where virtues like patience and mindfulness are paramount. Regrettably, it appears that the film neglects to delve deeper into the characters of Iselin and Thor-Atle, as their support and kindness significantly contribute to the students’ personal growth during their solo expeditions in the wilderness.

Debuting at the Sundance Film Festival amidst California’s historic wildfires, the footage of students learning to construct open-air fires now carries a new and unsettling tone. The omission of any safety guidelines on how to handle an out-of-control fire adds to this discomfort.

Since the folk high schools instruct Norse mythology, Ewing and Grady creatively incorporate it into their artwork, notably the story of the three “Norns,” or the fates who weave destiny beneath a tree of life. Their frequent use of a towering tree adorned with red yarn and hanging red ribbons is visually stunning but tends to be overly repetitive.

Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo and Tor Edvin Eliassen should be commended for beautifully capturing the majesty of the Northern Lights and the thrilling, at times perilous speed of a sled pulled by enthusiastic canine runners in the dense forest below. The sound crew aptly highlights the unique acoustic atmosphere of this frigid, isolated location, from the rustling of trees to the calls of Arctic birds to the labored breaths of the tireless dogs pulling the sled.

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2025-01-26 02:47