Radji review – moving depiction of Sami herders and their reindeer

This documentary follows Sami families as they fight the Norwegian government for the right to take animals along routes used for generations

The Indigenous Sami people have lived in Scandinavia for thousands of years, making a living from hunting, fishing and herding reindeer. This mild-mannered but often moving documentary charts one community’s fight to continue herding its reindeer along routes that have been used for generations. The film isn’t doing anything very new: it’s a classic David and Goliath story that pits its plucky Sami underdogs against a big, bad foe (in this case the Norwegian government); but it looks ravishing and is never less than completely engaging.

Much of the film is spent with herder Simon Marainen, a lonely figure who has taken over the family flock after his two brothers killed themselves and is now passing his skills down to his children. As summer looms, the Marainens’ reindeer migrate to Norway, then mooch back to Sweden for the winter. Herding them, it turns out, isn’t a Christmassy lark, but tough work for tough people, requiring stoutness in bad weather and serious physical strength. Yet it’s beautiful work, too, done on snowmobiles beneath huge pink skies that will make you yearn to jack in your old routines and find simpler ones.

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