BFI Recommends: The White Reindeer
Our daily series of recommendations continues with a fairytale horror about a shapeshifting reindeer, chosen by James Gracey.
With its striking imagery and haunted central character dabbling in the supernatural to obtain her heart’s desire, The White Reindeer is an eerie and atmospheric fairytale horror. After visiting a shaman to obtain a love potion, newlywed latent witch Pirita (the film’s co-writer, Mirjami Kuosmanen) transforms into a bloodthirsty, vampiric shapeshifter who, in the form of a white reindeer, lures men out into the snowy wilderness where she consumes them.
Like Cat People (1942) and The Company of Wolves (1984), The White Reindeer uses the motif of animal transformation to explore the denial and policing of female sexuality by societal traditions and stereotypical gender roles. After marrying, the expectations placed upon Pirita result in her discarding her ambitions to herd reindeer in order to take on domestic responsibilities.
Loosely based upon an old Nordic folk tale, The White Reindeer mines ancient Finnish lore and Sámi shamanism, imbuing the film with a rich folk element. Director Erik Blomberg’s roots in documentary filmmaking are evident in the scenes depicting the daily life of the villagers and reindeer herders, which feel very authentic as slices of life from a bygone era.
James Gracey
Library Assistant