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The 1952, Finland's film White Reindeer represents one of the remarkable lost classics in the rural horror style. Even though it won accolades at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Globe Awards back then, it was largely overlooked until a gorgeous 4K remaster started doing the rounds in the past decade.

Set on the remote, frozen mountains of northern Scandinavia, the picture offers an spooky, totally supernatural dark fairy tale. This region is occasionally called the Lapland region, though the native Sámi people view that term as pejorative.

The Eerie Opening and Metamorphosis

Via a memorable opening, it is predicted that a infant young Sámi female will transform into a witch. She grows into the character Piriti (played by the actress Mirjami Kuosmanen), a spirited lady who resents her solitary life as the spouse of a roaming reindeer shepherd.

She looks for comfort from a regional shaman, but possibly because of her innate magical abilities, his love ritual fails and changes her into a blood-drinking shape-shifter, cursed to pursue and consume human males in the form of a white reindeer.

Artistic Style and Inspirations

Kuosmanen wrote the movie with her husband, filmmaker and director of photography Blomberg. He merges stunning real-life footage of Sámi culture on this lunar landscape with intense visual flair that recalls silent-era expressionist filmmakers like Murnau and Fritz Lang.

Recorded in monochrome and almost entirely on actual settings in the wild, White Reindeer opposes the dazzling bright snow with pitch-black Gothic imagery, and shifts between them via the transitional twilight of the Arctic winter sun.

Unclear and Dreamlike Narrative

While the narrative is straightforward and the plot developments are clearly presented, White Reindeer continues to be open to interpretation and dreamlike. It is ambiguous exactly which historical period it’s taking place.

The logic of the characters' actions can be unclear, and the figures appear cut adrift, alone in the immense negative space of their environment. It’s also that uncommon type of monster movie that keeps its emphasis directly and empathetically on the monster as its main perspective.

Kuosmanen evokes the silent greats in a performance consumed by unfulfilled longing and a intense hunger she doesn’t fully understand.

Memorable Impact

Despite its short 68-minute long runtime, The White Reindeer can feel leisurely, thanks to its minimalist cinematic technique. But the lead actress's vivid portrayal, Blomberg’s remarkable visuals, and the film's unforgettable metaphor for the way a restrictive culture can demonize female desire will stay in your thoughts for a considerable time.