Double Feature: Once Upon a Time in a Forest & Songs of Earth

ONCE UPON A TIME IN A FOREST
Finland, 2024, 93 min
Once Upon a Time in a Forest, a title referencing the great westerns of our time, is the polar opposite of the genre itself. This fragile environmental documentary from Finland follows a group of young activists who take on the industrial giants who are systematically destroying the forest and threatening the environment. The film stylistically portrays the harmony of the forest, which takes on an almost spiritual quality. The beautiful compositions and alternating film formats are elegantly interwoven with rhythmic editing, bringing forth the tranquility and wisdom of nature, whose importance is often forgotten in these chaotic times. Crystal clear lakes, ancient trees and diverse animals. The film is an empathetic ode to the environment and those who strive to protect it. Director Virpi Suutari constructs an almost fairytale-like narrative teaming with both fluidity and grace - the depiction of nature is warm, hopeful and full with remarkable imagery. Surrender and allow yourself to be carried away.

SONGS OF EARTH
Norway, 2023, 90 min

The mountainous landscapes of Norway provide the monumental backdrop for the cinematic nature experience of the year. A magnificent, existential journey with the filmmaker’s parents as its human yardstick, and with the primordial forces of the earth looming in the bedrock. Margreth Olin has created a stunning, cinematic work about life, death, nature and simply being present in the world. The level of detail in her lyrical and visionary poem to her homeland is almost beyond anything seen on the big screen. And that is most definitely where SONGS OF EARTH should be experienced.