A New Kind of Wilderness
Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s uplifting Norwegian documentary follows a family that attempts to live off the grid.
Image courtesy of Metfilm Distribution.
This Norwegian film has won no less than eight awards at film festivals, a fact which suggests that its writer/ director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen has given us something very special indeed. And so she has, for this is a work that possesses no less than three features which stand out and make it memorable. Having read the promotional material before seeing the film, I had learnt that it was centred on a family living in Norway, one in which the parents had chosen to live on a farm in order to be close to nature. As part of their independent existence they were homeschooling their three young children. We meet this family at the outset and see them relishing their isolated but close-knit lifestyle. The father, Nik Payne, is English but his wife Maria is Norwegian and, when they first chose this life in the wilderness intent on escaping the rat race, they did so along with Maria’s young daughter from a previous relationship, Ronja Vatne. But soon they also had a daughter of their own, Freya, later followed by two sons, Falk and Ulv otherwise known as Wolfie. In addition to this advance background information, I was aware of a hint which suggested that the life of the Payne family would be marked by tragedy and I felt that to know more in advance of seeing the film might be a disadvantage. Accordingly, I stopped reading then and there.
But in the event, it was knowing so little in advance that proved to be the disadvantage. I half suspected that a death might occur and that in all probability the person struck down would be Maria. What I did not expect at all was that her death from cancer at the age of forty-one would occur within the first ten minutes of the film. However, this does not mean that we don't see her again and, indeed, at intervals throughout we see old footage and hear what appear to be her own comments in voice-over. We do come to recognise these flashback scenes for what they are, albeit that they are sometimes rather clumsily inserted, but, while the inclusion of old photos and bits and pieces of home movies would raise no query, here what we see seems more than that including Maria’s comments which sound genuine. Not being quite clear what we are observing is unsettling (it would even be possible that the voice would turn out to be that of an actress quoting Maria's words). I did in time adjust yet I remained puzzled until the end credits referred to material taken from Maria's blog which during her lifetime had detailed the family's lifestyle and had collected quite a following in Norway. Further clarification came from learning that Jacobsen had first contacted Maria back in 2014 and had got on well with her while shooting a pilot film about the family which went nowhere but which was there to be drawn on later. With this knowledge everything falls into place which is why I set it out in detail here. But I deeply regret that this documentary does not begin with a written statement setting out these facts and revealing too that it was the bond that Maria had established with Jacobsen which encouraged Nik to agree to her suggestion to film following Maria's death. Maria had herself taught photography and filmmaking and Nik having obtained a positive reaction from the children felt that Maria herself would have wanted the project to go ahead.
Once past the confusion that I have outlined (which will in any case not affect those with the appropriate background knowledge) one can settle down to appreciate A New Kind of Wilderness. I have mentioned that it has three virtues which stand out. One is the fact that all of the family come across as caring, appealing people which makes audience identification with them all the stronger. The second lies in the fact that Jacobsen had become so close to the family, a known presence, that she was able to obtain footage including that with the young children in which everybody behaves in such a natural way that there is never any sense at all of anybody playing up to the camera. But it is the third factor that ultimately emerges which is the most remarkable.
A New Kind of Wilderness shows the changes that followed in the wake of Maria's death, including the need to sell the farm and the demands on Nik which prevent him from continuing with the homeschooling. If that cuts across their chosen way of life, the loss of Maria also prompts Nik to consider whether the future for him and the children lies in Norway or in England (we witness a visit to this country which evokes his deep ties with it). Meanwhile, the older half-sister Ronja features prominently and her own sensitive bond with the oldest of the Payne children, Freya, is particularly touching. All of these threads are consequent on Maria's death but where most films about grieving are downbeat, we have a wonderful exception to that here. Never for a moment does the film downplay the loss and the underlying pain of the adjustment, but at the same time a brave face is put on by all, the spirit of Maria is still felt as a presence and as life goes on for the survivors the essential tone of the film is one of hope and optimism. That's a remarkable achievement on the part of the family and a credit to Silje Evensmo Jacobsen for capturing it. Had I not been distracted by the questions that bothered me early on, I might well be describing this film as a masterpiece and I certainly recommend it wholeheartedly.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Featuring Nik Payne, Maria Payne, Freja Payne, Ronja Vatne, Falk Payne, Ulv Payne, Conrad Payne, Jody Payne, Zavoal Payne.
Dir Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, Pro Mari Bakke Riise and Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, Screenplay Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, Ph Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, Karine Fosser, Fred Arne Wergeland, Espen Gjermundrød, Line K. Lyngstadaas Ed Kristian Tveit and Christoffer Hele, Music Olav Øyehaug and Daniel Norgren.
A5 Film-Metfilm Distribution.
84 mins. Norway. 2023. US Rel: 25 October 2024. UK Rel: 16 May 2025. Cert. 12A.
