Seitsemän laulua tundralta (Seven Songs of the Tundra)

Anastasia Lapsui and Markku Lehmuskallio previously made numerous documentaries about the Nenets, an Inuit-like people who live at the very top of the world. Though the Nenets have no history or traditon of acting, this is a beautifully-shot anthology fiction film. The first segment, entitled ‘Sacrifice’, shows a wintery religious ritual involving the sacrifice of a reindeer. ‘The Bride’ depicts traditional, pre-Revolutionary ways, including living in fur-lined teepees and herding reindeer. The story concerns a young woman's struggle between the man she loves and the rich widower that her mother has chosen her to marry. The following four segments concern changes in the Nenet community after the Soviets take over and demand that they accept the teachings of Lenin and conform to the party line. The final section is the brief lyrical depiction of a woman singing to her child. (Jonathan Crow)