TIFF REVIEW: ‘My Fathers' Daughter’ Is A Delightful Debut Feature From Egil Pedersen
Courtesy of Pluto Film / TIFF.
SPOILER FREE REVIEW
The Norwegian Sámi-language original film tells the story of Elvira, a troubled teenager conflicted with her identity and purpose.
Synopsis: Raised by her single mother in the coastal Sámi village of Unjárga in the far north of Norway, Elvira has never known her father. Misled to believe she was conceived in Copenhagen, the teenager holds on to a childhood fantasy that her father is the Danish acting legend Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, the star of the hit series Game of Thrones. When her mother, Beate (Ingá Elisá Påve Idivuoma), announces that her new girlfriend is moving in, a frustrated Elvira holds firm to her belief that her half-Danish ancestry will soon mean an escape from small-town life and all its trappings (TIFF description by JASON RYLE, 2024).
Egil Pedersen wrote and directed the feature which was produced by Mathis Ståle Mathisen, Pål Røed and Aleksander Olai Korsnes. The cast includes the electric Sarah Olaussen Eira as Elvira, Ingá Elisá Påve Idivuoma as Beate, Aslat Máhtte Gaup as Terje, Amund Lode, Ánne Mággá Wigelius, Sara Sofia Mienna and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as himself.
Filming took place between Unjárga and Čáhcesuolu in mid-2023
Let’s dive in:
The film takes place in the isolated north of Norway in a village called Unjárga. It’s here where we meet a very foolishly-optimistic teenager Elvira, who believes her father is Danish-born actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and that she must one day venture away from her small, lifeless village to find him — a promising adventure awaits! … or so she thinks.
She imagines Coster-Waldau teaching her fatherly lessons and seems to have sense of belonging with him. After all, at one point in the film, Elvira says Sámi mentality is “boring,” relying on her fantasy-inducing father as solace.
Elvira’s naivety and ignorance of her own people cause her to fluctuate between identity crisis and disbelief — once she finds out her father is in fact a Norwegian-born man who just finished a prison sentence. This causes her to spiral out of control in a fight against her own self and purpose.
The trial and tribulation aspect of Elvira’s personality works incredibly well. She rebels against her people as a minority, in hopes of a saviour somewhere far away from her land. On top of this, everyone around Elvira is changing — especially with her mom now dating another woman (coming out as queer), and Elvira resenting this change.
With teenage angst and a full-blown identity meltdown, Elvira tries her best to fit-in, and even finds her peers/classmates trying to leverage Elvira’s minority aspect for their own personal gain, using her Sámi heritage, lesbian mom, and questionable father as talking points.
Lead actress Sarah Olaussen Eira navigates and delivers every emotional beat of Elvira’s journey to perfection, elevating the film to a higher standard. Eira is able to craft a complex character with confidence, making you believe that she’ll do what it takes to be cool and fit-in. It’s hard to believe this is her first feature performance. Eira has a fantastic career ahead of her.
Of course, the backbone here is the screenplay and direction by Egil Pedersen, who crafts a humorous take on identity among serious social themes. Never once does the tone feel out of place or flat, but rather satirical, which offers more wiggle room for off-beat situations.
A fantastic element of Pedersen’s writing was making each character around Elvira struggle in some way with their own identity issues. For instance, Elvira’s best friend is always reading, dissecting, and quoting Karl Marx. Elvira’s mother is now dating a woman and is unsure about how to make Elvira comfortable with this change, and her father seemingly comes out of nowhere to complicate things even further, while proving to be a crucial piece of the identity crises puzzle for our protagonist. Pedersen has Elvira’s arc fluid, fleshed out and appropriately complex.
Pedersen’s fun direction compliments his writing abilities, adding a certain spark to this coming-of-age-story. When Elvira learns to accept herself and others around her, clarity of vision comes to her and by that point in the film, it feels like we’ve seen a rejuvenated and justified Elvira.
This is a film that not only minorities can identity with, but everyone — especially teenagers. It’s about; where do you fit in, will you accept your heritage, will you stop looking outside of yourself to find acceptance, all within the moral dilemmas of a teenager in an identity shamble.
This feature debut from Egil Pedersen is nothing short of an excellent start to (what we’re sure will be) a captivating career.
‘My Fathers’ Daughter’ launched at TIFF on September 9, 2024 and opens September 27, 2024 in Norway.
Above: Director Egil Pederson and actress Sarah Olaussen Eira at the world premiere of ‘My Fathers’ Daughter’ at TIFF 2024.
Courtesy of Egil Pederson and the International Sámi Film Institute.
Our score: ★★★★
(out of 5 stars)
