FOLKTALES

(Check out Chris Reeds’s Folktales movie review, it hits IFC Center in New York on July 25 before releasing in Los Angeles & additional cities August 1, 2025. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.)

“Everyone wants to be a teenager except teenagers.” So says Romain, who plays a leading role in Folktales, the latest documentary from Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Endangered). I’m not sure that all adults look back on their adolescence with nostalgic yearning, but the second part of that sentence certainly holds true: being young is hard; finding yourself is no easy task. This is how we end up near the Arctic Circle, at Norway’s Pasvik Folk High School, which students attend post-secondary education to develop life skills. Think “gap year,” only with snow and sled dogs.

The latter prove especially important to Pasvik’s confidence-building curriculum. It’s “much more than a gap year,” states Ketil, the principal. The focus is on helping youth understand their place on the planet (the constant Northern Lights serving as a reminder of our solar system). And as with so much in the universe, dogs make things better.

Beyond Romain (18 years old), who is Dutch, our main characters are Norwegians Hege (19) and Bjørn Tore (19), as well as Ketil and sledding instructor Iselin. Romain is very socially insecure; Hege recently lost her father (he was murdered); and Bjørn Tove is, by his own admission, an isolated nerd. They each need a boost. Through teachings about how to survive in the outdoors in frigid temperatures (fire-building and tent-pitching) and the best way to train a sled dog, not to mention Norwegian language lessons for the large number of international students, the school aims to transform its charges into fully self-possessed beings.

Throughout, Ewing and Grady weave Nordic folklore, using red yarn wrapped around branches and trees as a visual metaphor for the growth-journey of their subjects. The bulk of the footage is observational, the camera following people into the vast icy wilderness for tests of mettle that include many opportunities for failure and subsequent success. Time and again, the directors return to the faithful canines (Ewing also directed the first episode of Netflix’s Dogs series).

Dogs really are amazing creatures. Here, they are all large, powerful animals, capable of pulling sleds seemingly forever. Yet they are also gentle lovebugs, eager for pets and snuggles. Even the most awkward teenager will relax and smile in their presence (except when struggling to master the harness). The dogs also serve as reminders that life is a cycle and that death comes to all; one of the older huskies passes away mid-year, and though it is sad, his photo goes up on a memorial wall and we move on.

By the end, through formative adventures and breathtaking imagery (including overhead drone shots and evocative close-ups of canine eyes), we reach a satisfying cinematic destination. There’s still plenty of room for these kids to further develop (as one would hope), but they are all in a healthier place now, with some important survival expertise under their belts. Beyond the mythology to which its voiceover narration frequently returns, Folktales delivers real-world experiences that serve viewers and protagonists well.

– Christopher Llewellyn Reed (@ChrisReedFilm)

Magnolia Pictures; Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady; Folktales movie review

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