A New Kind of Wilderness
Documentary / Silje Evensmo Jacobsen / Norway / 84 min / 2024 / OmdU
On a small farm in a Norwegian forest, the Paynes live a purposefully isolated life, aiming to be wild and free. Maria and Nik, along with their four children Ulv, Falk, Freja, and Ronja are self-sufficient. They practice home-schooling and strive for a close-knit family dynamic in harmony with nature. However, when tragedy strikes the family, it upends their idyllic world and forces them to forge a new path into modern society.
In A New Kind of Wilderness, filmmaker Silje Evensmo Jacobsen captures an intimate and soulful portrait of love, life, and growing up. The Paynes’ journey and their triumphs and struggles, invite reflection on our own life choices, our responsibility to the planet and our children, and how we navigate life after loss.
Winner - Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival 2024
Film discussion: On the question of what makes a good life. And how to (re)find contentment and happiness when your original life plan falls apart.