Stolen Review: A Tepid Attempt At Showcasing The Life of Sámi People 

Stolen Review: Based on the best-selling book of the same name, the Netflix film portrays the struggle of a Sámi woman trying to protect her people and her reindeer after some troublemakers were constantly killing the reindeers, day after day. Elsa is a strong, independent young woman who sees beyond her gender and stands up for the villagers – even when they do not want her to. Coupled with criminals hurting reindeers to drive out the Sámi people, she takes matters into her own hands. 

– Spoilers ahead –

The Netflix movie begins with a young Elsa getting her first reindeer calf and choosing a pure white one. They perform their ritual and her father reminds her that they do not own the reindeer, only taken on loan. We see the life of the Sámi tribe – reindeer herders who deeply care about those animals but Elsa witnesses a brutal sight – Robert (Martin Wallström) killing her young calf. He notices her and threatens her to keep quiet. 

She keeps the trauma in a small box, including the memory of her reindeer – only to grow up to be an ambitious reindeer herder while her brother looks for ways to get out of it. The Sámi people face many issues as the rest of the village wants to bring new roads, equipment, etc to secure jobs but that comes at the cost of disturbing and potentially driving away the reindeers. Elsa (Elin Oskal) stands up for her people but the rest of them shut her down for creating a ruckus unnecessarily. 

There is a different part of the story that follows her brother and her friend who feel like they do not belong to their tribe. Her brother wants to run away and try something new while her friend is part of the mine but he has no choice because he does not have a reindeer of his own. He has no choice but to work for her father. They express their feelings like how helpless they feel or how they cannot escape the place.

On the other hand, Robert continues to kill reindeers day after day and while Elsa and her brother try to bring him to justice – the police do not take any action without sufficient evidence. The siblings feel helpless at the state of their lives. The back and forth irks Robert – taking a rash decision and creating a display of reindeer heads. Elsa makes a bold statement to the press regarding the situation – angering the Sámi people further. 

In the end, Robert follows Elsa and tries to kill her when she finds his barn filled with reindeer skin, meat and carcasses. In a chase scene on their snowmobiles, Robert finds himself trapped between the snowmobile and the ice that slowly cracks – taking him underwater. Elsa tries to save him but she gets there too late. 

Stolen Review 

There are many films about indigenous people around the world which are done with nuance and incite emotions but Stolen is not one of them. It was definitely a good attempt but the storytelling seems rushed and shoddy. There is tension building but its resolution seems almost stereotypical. Many parts of the film feel choppy and unnecessarily emotional – almost demanding the viewers to feel the pain with them. 

But the issue is – since we did not get enough time with the young Elsa or the adult Elsa, her decisions and her need to stand up for others make no sense. Yes, she is filled with rage regarding Robert and his reindeer killing but the viewers are not involved when she makes up her mind to continue pursuing him or any other decision she makes. 

It felt like a movie about Elsa and her love for reindeers rather than about protecting the Sámi traditions as well as the people. There is an attempt to talk about xenophobia but it comes and goes in the form of villagers being rude or the policemen not helping them. The cinematography is impressive, but unfortunately, the storyline lacks substance and fails to captivate the audience.

Stolen is streaming on Netflix.

Also Read: Baby Reindeer Review: Richard Gadd’s Series Delivers a Haunting and Emotionally Resonant Experience