Set in Lapland during colonial times, this eerie, haunting horror film centers on a tribe of close-knit, deeply religious and superstitious people who live in a bleak, barren, snow-covered mountainous region where life is often tough, exacting and thankless. A lonely, neglected woman (played with tremendous poignancy and conviction by the stunningly comely Mirjami Kuosmanen, who also co-wrote the terse, but rich script) visits a shaman so he can cast a spell that will bring her errant wandering shepherd husband back home to her. The spell works, but comes with an unfortunate attachment: The lady becomes possessed by an ancient evil spirit which causes her to transform into a murderous giant white reindeer that preys upon various tribe members.
Blending the vampire and werewolf mythology into a fascinatingly unique and inspired synthesis which also adds elements from pre-Christian folklore, filmmaker Erik Blomberg's simple, lyrical parable about how all actions have consequences has the immediacy, intimacy and potency of an eloquently spun scary campfire yarn. Skillfully directed, produced, edited, co-written and shot in gorgeous monochromatic black and white by Blomberg, who began photographing movies back in the 30's and made only four other films before spending the rest of his career doing documentaries for television, this plainly done and elegantly understated debut feature benefits greatly from not only its powerfully direct and unpretentious story, but also from its highly unusual and intriguing period setting. Further enhanced by an evocative chanted score, outstanding use of the wintry, desolate, godforsaken Finnish countryside, and frequently striking visuals (the burial ground ridden with scattered animal bones is memorably creepy), "The White Reindeer" deservedly won awards at both the Cannes and Karlovy Vary Film Festivals. A singularly spooky and spellbinding picture that's strongly recommended to fright film fans who want to see something different and original.
Blending the vampire and werewolf mythology into a fascinatingly unique and inspired synthesis which also adds elements from pre-Christian folklore, filmmaker Erik Blomberg's simple, lyrical parable about how all actions have consequences has the immediacy, intimacy and potency of an eloquently spun scary campfire yarn. Skillfully directed, produced, edited, co-written and shot in gorgeous monochromatic black and white by Blomberg, who began photographing movies back in the 30's and made only four other films before spending the rest of his career doing documentaries for television, this plainly done and elegantly understated debut feature benefits greatly from not only its powerfully direct and unpretentious story, but also from its highly unusual and intriguing period setting. Further enhanced by an evocative chanted score, outstanding use of the wintry, desolate, godforsaken Finnish countryside, and frequently striking visuals (the burial ground ridden with scattered animal bones is memorably creepy), "The White Reindeer" deservedly won awards at both the Cannes and Karlovy Vary Film Festivals. A singularly spooky and spellbinding picture that's strongly recommended to fright film fans who want to see something different and original.