Let the River Flow
| Let the River Flow | |
|---|---|
 English-language promotional poster | |
| Northern Sami | Ellos eatnu |
| Norwegian | La elva leve |
| Directed by | Ole Giæver |
| Written by | Ole Giæver |
| Starring | |
Release date |
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| Country | Norway |
| Languages |
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Let the River Flow (Northern Sami: Ellos eatnu; Norwegian: La elva leve) is a 2023 Norwegian historical drama film written and directed by Ole Giæver. Set in 1979, it is inspired by the events of the Alta controversy.[1][2][3]
Plot
[edit]In 1979, a young Sámi woman named Ester has found a temporary teaching job in Alta. She visits her mother Máret before the move, who lives with her Norwegian husband Stein and their son Thomas. On their television, reporters discuss Sámi opposition to construction of the Alta Hydroelectric Power Station. Ester goes foraging for cloudberries with her grandmother Áhkku, who sings the yoik Ester's deceased father composed for her. Ester has just gotten back in touch with her cousin Mihkkal, who comes to pick her up wearing his gákti. He takes her on a detour to the protest camps at Stilla, where she meets another Sámi protester Risten.
Ester starts her teaching job. She hides her Sámi heritage, laughs at anti-Sámi jokes, and remarks that the dam construction should go ahead despite their protests. As her colleague Gøran flirts with her outside the bar, they are approached by a Sámi man. Ester pretends not to know him, and the man is harassed and assaulted for not speaking Norwegian. Ester returns to the Stilla camp with Mihkkal, where she learns about non-violent resistance. An altercation ensues between the protesters and local residents in favor of the dam, including Gøran, who expresses in dismay that she cannot be Sámi.
Ester witnesses the social exclusion her Sámi student Ailu experiences, and goes home to look for her gákti. Her grandmother alters it for her. She puts it on (for the first time since her confirmation) and goes to the shed, where she reminisces about her father and cries. Máret wants to tear it down, saying that it brings back unhappy memories. Ester asks what happened to her father. Máret explains that they both went to residential school, where they were punished for speaking their native language. She says there is no future in Sámi, as the battle was lost long ago.
At Christmas, Ester gets into a dispute with Stein about if the dam's construction will truly be halted. Ester gives Thomas her father's Four Winds hat, while Máret becomes visibly uncomfortable. Ester later gets into a fight with her mother, who she accuses of throwing away the hat. Ester declares that this is no longer her home, and leaves.
After the meeting, Mihkkal tells Ester she should listen as well as speaking up. He gives her his car key and Sámi flag. Ester knocks on doors and canvasses for people to attend the protest, and meets a mother whose children are harassed in school for wearing Sámi clothes. Ester finds Mihkkal dead by suicide. At the funeral, Máret shows up in traditional clothes and sits next to Ester. They make amends and Ester goes home with her and Áhkku.
Ester drives Ailu home from school and meets his father. Ailu wants to show her his room, and asks if she can sing, as his mother used to yoik. She initially says she doesn't know any, but then says she knows one. She begins to sing Mihkkal's yoik.
Cast
[edit]- Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen as Ester Isaksen: the film's protagonist; a young Sámi woman
- Gard Emil Elvenes as Mihkkal Vars: Ester's maternal cousin; a member of the Sámi Action Group
- Marie Kvernmo as Máret: Ester's mother
- Mary Sarre as Áhkku: Ester's grandmother
- Finn Arve Sørbøe as Stein; Máret's Norwegian husband and Thomas' father
- William Sigvaldsen as Thomas; Ester's half-brother
- Sofia Jannok as Risten Labba; a member of the Sámi Action Group
- Niillas Beaska as Piera Aslaksen; a member of the Sámi Action Group
- Ivar Beddari as Gøran; Ester's colleague with anti-Sámi beliefs
- Maria Bock as the principal at Ester's school
- Robert Amadeus Gaup Mienna as Ailu; a young Sámi student in Ester's class
- Mikkel Gaup as Ailu's father
Release
[edit]The film premiered in Masi, Norway on 13 January 2023.[4] The first screening in Sweden was in Jokkmokk on 4 May 2023.[5]
Awards
[edit]It won the Audience Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Gothenburg Film Festival.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Fjellborg, Karolina (11 May 2023). "Stillsamt kraftfullt om samer, natur och identitet" [Quietly powerful about the Sami, nature and identity]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ Sahlin, Fredrik (12 May 2023). "Recension: "Ellos eatnu – Låt älven leva" i regi av Ole Giæver" [Review: "Ellos eatnu – Let the river live" directed by Ole Giæver]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ Bendjelloul, Wanda (11 May 2023). "Jojken ljuder över den gamla älvkampen i starka "Ellos eatnu. Låt älven leva"" [The yoik sounds over the old river fight in a strong "Ellos eatnu. Let the river flow"]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ Gaup Sandberg, Maien; Larsen, Hanne (14 January 2023). "Reinskinn i stedet for rød løper under rørende verdenspremiere" [Reindeer skins instead of red carpet during touching world premiere]. NRK (in Norwegian). Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ Kuhmunen, Merethe (6 May 2023). "Ella Marie Hætta Isaksenii mearkkaša olu čájehit Ellos Eatnu Ruoŧa Sámis" [It means a lot to Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen to show Ellos Eatnu in Swedish Sámi]. Sveriges Radio (in Northern Sami). Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ Balaga, Marta (4 February 2023). "Goteborg Film Festival Prizes: Malou Reymann's 'Unruly' Named Best Nordic Film". Variety. Retrieved 31 August 2025.