A New Kind of Wilderness – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK August 29, 2025: A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS

August 24, 2025August 27, 2025 Jennifer Merin A New Kind of Wilderness, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, documentary, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Maria Vatne, nell minow, Nik Payne, norwegian films, POV, sandie angulo chen, Silje Evensmo Jacobsen

An unconventional family navigates the impact of a devastating loss and lingering grief in Norwegian filmmaker Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s touching, beautifully filmed documentary A New Kind of Wilderness. In the process, they learn that, as long as you move forward together with intention and love, there’s no wrong way to “do” life — and that it’s OK to pivot in unexpected ways when life throws you unexpected change. In a world that’s all too quick to judge others for their choices, A New Kind of Wilderness is a valuable reminder that, in parenting and in life, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, but there’s always another tunnel.

Reviews

A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS – Review by Loren King

August 19, 2025August 23, 2025 Loren King A New Kind of Wilderness, documentary, Maria Vatne, Nik Payne, norwegian films, POV, Silje Evensmo Jacobsen

At just one hour in length, A New Kind of Wilderness is one of the most searing and honest meditations on grief and resiliency that I’ve ever seen. What starts, seemingly, as a cinema verite look at a Norwegian couple, Maria Gros Vatne and Nikolaus Payne, living off the land and homeschooling their four young children in an idyllic commune with nature, soon changes as we learn that Maria, a professional photographer, has cancer.

Reviews

A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS – Review by Liz Whittemore

August 19, 2025August 23, 2025 Liz Whittemore A New Kind of Wilderness, documentary, Maria Vatne, Nik Payne, norwegian films, POV, Silje Evensmo Jacobsen

A life chronicled most intimately and authentically, the Payne family experiences physical and emotional upheaval following a family tragedy. Choosing to raise their family on a secluded Norwegian farm, Maria and Nik wanted nothing more than to instill a love of nature in their children. Potentially forced to sell the beloved farm that holds all their memories, Nik, Freja, Falk, Ulv, and eldest daughter Ronja, navigate unfathomable loss and fight to remain connected.