Jeʹvida is a 2023 Finnish Skolt Sámi–language drama film written and directed by Katja Gauriloff.[1] 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,[2][3] while following the life of Jeʹvida in three different periods.[4][5]
In the film, Gauriloff depicts the discrimination and forced assimilation the Skolts experienced and the resulting mental trauma that still affects them.[3][5][6] The director, who is also Skolt, had similar experiences in her childhood.[5]
Plot summary
A chain-smoking elderly Iida (Sanna-Kaisa Palo [fi]) and her relative Sanna (Seidi Haarla) drive to Lapland to look at an inherited family house, with the intention of cleaning it up 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 experienced mistreatment and forced assimilation into Finnish culture due to her being Skolt Sámi. Iida's mind dives deeper into the secrets of the past and she rediscovers her true self, Jeʹvida.[9]
Cast
Agafia Niemenmaa as young Jeʹvida
Heidi Uʹlljan Gauriloff as the young adult Jeʹvida/Iida
Aki Lehti from Muropaketti [fi] gives the film a rating of 4½ stars out of 5, saying that the film is a "sadly beautiful and touching work of art, a really necessary film about a silent subject."[16] Niina Oisalo of Film-O-Holic [fi] 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."[17] Niko Ikonen from Episodi [fi] 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."[18]
^"Dieđut: Filmmat mat leat ožžon doarjaga Internašunála Sámi Filbmainstituhtas dán jagi" [Info: Films that have received support from the International Sámi Film Institute this year]. Ávvir (in Northern Sami). Vol. 14, no. 114. 25 June 2021. p. 8.
^Gavrilov, Sergey (15 August 2023). "Su persovnnalaš muitalusa čájehit stuora filbmafestiválas Torontos" [Showing Her Personal Story at Large Film Festival in Toronto]. Ávvir (in Northern Sami). Vol. 16, no. 150. p. 8-9.