Sami, une jeunesse en Laponie

My Swedish teacher highly recommended me this Swedish film and I had always wanted to watched it. It was played during the Vancouver International Film Festival but I just missed it. Finally, I had an opportunity to watch it. The story of Scandinavian indigenous people in this film reminds of the Salish people in Canada. The indigenous people faced huge invasion in culture, education, territory, etc. They were regarded inferior. Especially young indigenous faced self- identity crisis. They were starting to lose themselves in this modern world. Fortunately, governments start to launch cultural project to rescue indigenous culture. But it is far from enough. Films on this topic are a good ways to let the public know about indigenous culture, language, history and stories.

Unique little film with some truly great performances by first-time sami actors. Going from beautiful to sad to infuriating to inspiring, this one really does it all. Can't recommend it enough.

A film that puts you inside this girls head. And that is it's biggest achievement. And then we're on ride with her through a very new time in her life. And it's an enjoyable ride. Beautifully casted.

I am so glad that Amazon carries foreign films like this -- although it takes some digging to find them. The lead actress was flawless in her role as a native Lapp who is disdained by the Swedish elite. She plays this with such subtlety and dignity. I wanted to hug her and take her away from all the horrible treatment she received. The scenery is great. Hats off to the director for such a magnificent job. I always find that Nordic films are far and away better than American films. "The Hunt" was the most haunting Nordic film I've ever seen. Such a great film Thank you.

Sami Blood was so much different than a typical movie about prejudice and culture. Maj-Doris Rimp (Elle Marja) and all the people portraying Sami People were real Laplanders. Obviously, Elle Marja, the lead actor as characterized in the movie came from being raised as a Laplander and that is where she got her education in life because" there is no university like adversity"("the School of Hard Knocks").

What is striking is that unlike typical Swedes or Sami People, Elle Marja understands this desire and social need that all people should acculturate themselves to the cultures of other people who have different values than you--but on your own terms! Why?:Because: "If you see in any given situation only what everybody else can see, you can be said to be so much a representative of your culture that you are a victim of it." ~S. I. Hayakawa

As i watched the people in this movie talking about "Yoiking" (Sami music) I went to YouTube and listened to "Yoik of the Wind." If you were way up in the mountains in the wilderness this is the feeling you would express. The ending of this movie really floored me too and wrapped up the whole picture expressing the character and moral of the story through this woman's finale. By The Way, I'm a 71 year old Irish-American avid movie watcher and found this movie to be well worth watching for anybody. I have never reviewed any movie but couldn't understand why I have never seen SAMI BLOOD" listed on top foreign genre movie lists.