Beautifully shot in Sápmi, the traditional homeland of the Sámi, the indigenous people of the Arctic, Árru is a slow burn, intense drama about deeply buried trauma. It concerns a family of reindeer herders whose ancestral land and livelihood is being threatened by a copper mining project.
Single mother Maia (Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska) and her taciturn, chain-smoking brother Dánel (Simon Issát Marainen) are losing the battle. So, Maia calls on her older brother, the charismatic Lemme (Mikkel Gaup) for help. Lemme, who lives in Canada, and has just won a similar landmark case, organises a protest camp with the help of Maia’s teenage daughter, Áilin (Ayla Gáren Audhild P. Nutti). As a result, they gain media coverage and traction for their cause.
Against this backdrop, there is a deep divide in the family – an antipathy that goes back a long way. Dánel doesn’t want anything to do with Lemme, and Maia comes to realise she has made a mistake by calling on Lemme. Oblivious to the reason for the antagonism, Áilin plays a pivotal role in the outcome.
The title of the film, Árru, comes from the Northern Sámi language, and means obstacle or barrier. Co-writer (with Johan Fasting) and director Elle Sofe Sara’s first feature film is about silence, and the cost of keeping it. She comes from a Sami village and in her world, stories are not always told with words – they are sung through joik (a cappella chanting of the Sámi people). And so it is in Árru, in which song and dance play an important part.
Movement was the first language Elle Sofe Sara truly understood – dance gave voice to emotions she couldn’t yet enunciate and joik became her second language. Feeling is carried through the wind and the breathtaking isolation and wilderness, a place where reindeer thrive. Matters come to a head at a celebration to mark the birthday of the family matriarch, Áhkku (Ellen Anne Buljo Stabursvik). But an earlier confrontation between Dánel and Lemme almost an hour into the film has a major impact on their niece, Áilin.
Árru is lyrical and poetic in nature. It is also deeply disturbing in more ways than one. The subject matter is incendiary. There is also a scene in the movie that westerners may find challenging, in which a reindeer is skinned. Árru is dour and, at the same time, picturesque. The cinematography by Cecilie Semec captures the timeless beauty of the land and its wildlife. Also striking is the traditional dress worn by the Sámi in a number of sequences.
The central conceit unfolds over time. Little may be said, but the inference of injustice is clear. It is a tale about resilience, reclaiming one’s voice and standing firm for the land that endures. Árru will resonate with sensitive movie goers, who appreciate the sombre and the serene. It scores a 6½ to 7 out of 10.
It was the opening night film at the Nordic Film Festival, which is playing now around Australia. For more information and tickets, go to https://nordicfilmfestival.com.au
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- The Last Resort, at the Nordic Film Festival – movie review
- Gurrumul – movie review
- Elvis – movie review
Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.