Stolen – Movie Review
Director: Elle Marja Eira
Writer: Peter Birro, Ann-Helen Laestadius (Screenplay)
Cast
- Elin Oskal
- Magnus Kuhmunen
- Martin Wallstrom (Hilma)
- Ida Labba Persson
- Lars-Ante Wasara
- Pavva Pittja
Plot: A young woman’s struggle to defend her indigenous heritage in a world where xenophobia is on the rise, climate change is threatening reindeer herding, and young people choose suicide in the face of collective desperation.
Runtime: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Stolen starts when a young girl Elsa witnesses her calf reindeer slaughtered by a hunter. Her family tries to support her, but she fears for her life after learning where the hunter works. 10-years-later, Elsa (Oskal) works on herding the reindeer with her people, while teaching the children the importance of their people’s history.
As the hunters continue Elsa puts her people together to go and solve the problem themselves. It leads to a dangerous sequence of events as the lines are drawn and the herders run out of patience.
Verdict on Stolen
Stolen is a thriller following a reindeer herder who finds her herd targeted by rogue hunters. She is from a small indigenous group of people who have seen their land taken over. However, the police won’t support them, and they face a battle to erase the problem.
This movie brings to life another vision of discrimination against an indigenous group of people. It shows how the newly involved community take advantage of the situation to get away with crimes. However, we see one stand up for her community to hopefully create peace between them and stop the unnecessary slaughter of animals. This shows the importance of accepting people around and not interrupting their culture. It also has a small climate change message, but it doesn’t make as big of an impact on the story.
Where to Watch
Stolen is available to watch on Netflix now.
Final Thoughts – Stolen is a strong message about understanding and supporting indigenous people.
