A New Kind Of Wilderness is a documentary centred around a Norwegian family attempting to cope with the loss of a loved one.
The Payne family live on a remote farm, homeschooling their children themselves and living off of the land. Originally planned as a documentary focusing on Marie Vatne’s photography and outsider style of life after her untimely death in 2019, the documentary was changed to follow the grieving family. A majority of the documentary’s short 84-minute run time is devoted to grieving widower Nik Payne.
Nik is forced to make difficult decisions for the sake of his family, as well as live up to the promises he made to his late wife.
What makes this documentary stand out among others that focus on grief is its use of voiceovers from the late Marie Vatne. Her voice and photos are used frequently to give context to the family’s pain.
The biggest decision within the film comes when Nik is forced to give up the farm he and Marie fixed up together, as he doesn’t have enough money to pay for it.
Director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen spends a lot of time focused on Nik and Marie’s three children; Freja, Falk and Ulv, as well as Marie’s child from a previous relationship, Ronja. After her Mother’s death, Ronja left the Payne family and went to live with her Father in the city. Ronja and Freja’s relationship becomes a focal point as both navigate their own grief.
The documentary is hard watch because of how raw the portrayal of grief is. If you’ve ever lost anyone close to you, A New Kind of Wilderness will likely resonate with you, but grief is never the end.
What makes A New Kind of Wilderness such a beautiful watch is how you see the Payne family change, grow and find new ways to live with their grief.
The documentary deals with the idea of legacy in an interesting way. Maria and Nik wished for their children to be home-schooled and avoid distractions such as technology. However, because of the Payne’s situation, they are forced to embrace change.
A New Kind of Wilderness is a once-in-a-lifetime documentary and a must-see at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival.
For information on the Edinburgh International Film Festival click here.
Featured image credit: Marie Vatne