Kautokeino-opprøret

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.

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.

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.

"Kautokeino Rebellion" is a film that attempts to dramatize the historical events of the 1852 uprising in Norway. While the movie is visually stunning and features strong performances, it falls short in its portrayal of the actual events and characters involved.

The film presents a simplified and romanticized version of the rebellion, which can be misleading for viewers unfamiliar with the true history. The characters depicted as heroes in the movie were, in reality, deeply religious individuals whose actions were driven by their fanatic beliefs. This aspect is glossed over in the film, which instead focuses on a more palatable narrative of oppressed people rising against their oppressors.

The historical inaccuracies in "Kautokeino Rebellion" are significant. The film fails to capture the complexity of the socio-political and religious dynamics of the time. The rebellion was not a straightforward fight for justice but was influenced by intense religious fervor and conflicts within the community. By omitting these details, the film does a disservice to the true story and the people involved.

I am a relative to one of the main characters, Aslak Hætta, and it is interesting to see how he and the rest of the rebellions are depicted. The true story is far from the movie and I am a bit ashamed how positive the rebellions are described in the movie. The truth is that the rebellions belonged to a religious movement and were more or less crazy. Ruth, Bucht and Stockfleth was in real life decent people. Hæetta (my relative), Somby and the rest of the rebellions was in real life religious fanatics. I'm not very proud of being a relative to a religious fanatic who eventually became a murderer, but I still think that the story should somehow be a tad more truthful. The story is a complete falsification of a true event. It could have been a good movie showing how religious fanatics clashed with the society, but became a historical falsification instead.

In conclusion, while "Kautokeino Rebellion" is an engaging film with high production values, it should not be taken as a factual account of the events it portrays. Viewers interested in the true history of the Kautokeino uprising would do well to seek out more accurate sources to understand the full context and the real motivations behind the rebellion.