Kautokeino-opprøret

"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.

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?

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.

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.

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.