A New Kind of Wilderness

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A New Kind of Wilderness

2024

Ukjent landskap

Directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen

In a forest in Norway, a family lives an isolated lifestyle in an attempt to be wild and free, but a tragic event changes everything, and they are forced to adjust to modern society.

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universzero
Review by universzero ★★★½ Liked

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

vicw
Review by vicw ★★★★

'This place really has everything, doesn't it'
Ulf: except pet wales

Never change, little man, someday they'll let you bring your knife to kindergarten

Kevflix And Chill
Review by Kevflix And Chill ★★★★

Sundance 2024
A touching documentary about a Norwegian family who’ve been living a sustainable off/grid lifestyle. But because the matriarch has passed away, the patriarch is forced to sell their farm, and uproot the four children to a more traditional lifestyle. It’s a monumental shift for a family that’s still grieving the loss of the matriarch and trying to hold true to her ideals. It’s like a real life Captain Fantastic and it’s an incredibly moving watch. Seeing the father grapples with upholding his promise to his wife, giving his children the life and home that they want, but also figuring out how to make ends seems harder than I could fathom. Adding in all of the self doubt that sets in about initially choosing to raise a family off grid—has he somehow deprived his children of something? Will they resent their upbringing?  Etc. Fascinating, heartbreaking, and heartwarming all at the same time. Highly recommend. 

Bacon Number Unknown

Matt Neglia
Review by Matt Neglia ★★★★ Liked 2

A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS beautifully captures the grief of an off-the-grid Norwegian family. This real-life Captain Fantastic is more rewarding in its portrayal of its family's healing journey. Honest & exceptionally well-shot. A poignant documentary that caused me to shed a tear.

Connor
Review by Connor ★★★★ 2

Can you imagine giving a child a carved wooden spoon for their birthday and them sincerely thanking you for it?

lkwood
Review by lkwood ★★½ 1

Feeling like a real jerk for this rating, but this just wasn’t up to par for an award winning doc. I majorly appreciate that it ended up being about family decisions, moving on, changing plans and maintaining connection (instead of “living off the grid”). I don’t know if this film wanted to be a documentary with a thesis or a narrative fiction. I’m aware how blasphemous this is to say, but I don’t know how much I jive with what was portrayed of the mother. A very limited look into why she was such a force for the way this family decided to live, alongside some strange glimmers of self indulgence resulted in me walking away kind of leery. This…

Shreesh
Review by Shreesh ★★★½ Liked

This was meditative, poignant, emotional and sweet. It’s about a Norwegian family who have been off-grid from the cities and live a healthy life in a farm. It was refreshing to see this story and how is it possible to lead a life like that, the struggles of it, the mental state of a person who is living in a completely different way. It was well shot, the family was lovely, Freja was adorable and the dad was great. It’s just 83 minutes, so it’s definitely worth a watch!

2024 Ranked 

Manoj Panicker
Review by Manoj Panicker ★★★½ Liked

Let's not talk about winter now
Let's go outside.
Out to the sound of trickling water and birds singing in ecstasy
For grass underfoot and butterflies and the first spring flower
Let's stay in the sun until it goes down.

After the demise of the matriarch of the family, the overbearing expenses and loans force Nike Payne and his family to forge a new chapter in a smaller house with a traditional social life and the usual schooling system. Having raised their kids separately from the rat race of institutions and digitalization, Nik and Maria's home schooling life wears away bit by bit as his kids adapt to the new environment slowly. At first I thought the documentary might drag…

jeffreyobrien
Review by jeffreyobrien ★★★★ Liked

Cried in the first 5 minutes and it didn’t let up. Never seen such a personal portrayal of grief.

Kevin Y
Review by Kevin Y ★★★

An abundance of tender moments, but never fully gets under the surface of this “new kind of wilderness” - in large part because it doesn’t give us enough context for the mother and her outsized role in the family and environment. Obviously we ascertain some of that from the kids, and the grief is palpable. I just don’t know if we understand the implications of their living status enough to become invested in their societal reintegration. The observational style of the film is anchored in a certain type of aesthetic of healing, but without enough substance to back it up.

GRADE: B-

Matthew Lewis
Review by Matthew Lewis ★★★½ Liked

The Dad might be the only person who'd rather live in England than Norway.

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