Jeʹvida is a 2023 Finnish Skolt Sámi-language drama film written and directed by Katja Gauriloff. The film describes the life of a Skolt Sámi woman called Jeʹvida during the period when her people were being forcibly assimilated into Finnish society, while following the life of Jeʹvida in three different periods.
Background
Jeʹvida is the first feature film ever shot in the Skolt Sámi language. It received monetary support from the International Sámi Film Institute and the Finnish Film Foundation in 2021.
In the film, Gauriloff depicts the discrimination and forced assimilation the Skolts experienced and the resulting mental trauma that still affects them. The director, herself of Skolt background, had similar experiences in her childhood.
Plot summary
A chain-smoking elderly Iida () and her relative Sanna (Seidi Haarla) drive to Lapland to look at an inherited family house, with the intention of cleaning up places to prepare the house for sale. After arriving at the location, the house and its surroundings start to evoke painful memories in Iida, who has had to experience mistreatment and forced feeding of Finnish culture due to her Sámi descent. Iida's mind dives deeper into the secrets of the past and rediscovering her true self, Jeʹvida.
Cast
Agafia Niemenmaa as young Jeʹvida
Heidi Uʹlljan Gauriloff as the young adult Jeʹvida/Iida
Sanna-Kaisa Palo as the older Jeʹvida/Iida
Heini Wesslin as Jeʹvida's mother
Erkki Gauriloff as Jeʹvida's grandfather
Matleena Fofonoff as Jeʹvida's grandmother
Jarkko Lahti as the teacher
Seidi Haarla as Sanna
Reception
The film had its world premiere in June 2023 at the Tribeca Festival in New York. The film was also shown at the Toronto Film Festival in September of the same year. It was one of three Sámi films present at the festival.
Aki Lehti from Muropaketti gives the film a rating of 4½ stars out of five, saying that the film is a "sadly beautiful and touching work of art, a really necessary film about a silent subject." Niina Oisalo of Film-O-Holic gives 4 stars out of 5, describing the film as "a skillfully executed magical realist drama", adding that "the film's breathy, natural rhythm brings out the bonds that unite generations without unnecessary explanation." Niko Ikonen from Episodi gives the film 3 stars out of 5, comparing the film's subject to the 2016 Swedish film Sami Blood, saying that "unfortunately, Jeʹvida doesn't really get its message across, and the film's script does not support the weight of such a heavy and multifaceted subject."