It is great to see the international profile of Sámi cinema increase over recent years. Already this year I was enormously impressed with Elle-Márjá Eira’s tense rural thriller Stolen. Now Australia’s 2024 Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival brings audiences another great example with Sara Margrethe Oskal’s resonant and effective romantic drama The Tundra Within Me.

Sámi artist Lena (Risten Anine Kvernmo Gaup) returns home to Sápmi as part of a sponsored art project. She used to manage a herd of reindeer, but sold them off when she moved to Oslo. She struggles to fit back in, with old family and acquaintances now viewing her with a combination of suspicion and hostility. When she tentatively enters a romance with local herder Máhtte (Nils Ailu Kemi), it generates further friction in the town – particularly with Máhtte’s disapproving mother.

In case you need getting up to speed: the Sámi are an indigenous language group living in northern Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Russia’s Kola peninsula. You may be more familiar with the old colonial name for Sápmi, which is Lapland; this name is considered offensive. Sámi culture was centered around herding reindeer, and even today roughly 10 per cent of the population continue this semi-nomadic lifestyle. One can appreciate that issues of racial discrimination, land rights, and freedom to conduct traditional culture are all major ongoing issues between Sámi and Scandinavians. It is why Sámi cinema, and its distribution around the world, is so important.

The Tundra Within Me marks the feature debut for writer/director Sara Margrethe Oskal. It is a confident first film, boasting strong performances and alluring photography. It is quite common in what Sámi cinema I have seen – and indeed it is the case here – that there is a striking contrast between the intimate human drama and the vast, beautifully desolate backdrop of northern Europe. The bleak setting always seems to play a wonderful role in accentuating the interpersonal relationships.

Risten Anine Kvernmo Gaup is a natural highlight of the film, expressing a vibrant combination of emotion: despite being born in Sápmi, Lena’s long stay down south has partially stripped her of her identity. She knows the culture and the traditions, but local prejudice appears to bar her from engaging with it. Even Máhtte – very well played by Nils Ailu Kemi – is not immune. He is clearly supportive of her, but his support comes in the form of encouraging Lena to aggressively re-commit to the a life of reindeer herding. Further pressure comes from both Lena and Máhtte’s respective mothers; again well expressed by actors Anitta Suikkari and Berit Ánne Oskal Kemi.

Local and cultural elements help distinguish the film from the mass of independent dramas available worldwide. With available land shrinking, different herds mixing together has become a growing issue. A lack of resources is ably represented by constant snowmobile breakdowns and repairs. As a white Australian viewer, I find this kind of detail enhances the film tremendously. It is not just good drama, but good drama in a fascinating context. It is a story well worth experiencing.

The Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival is currently screening across Australia. For more information, including local session times, click here.