Je’vida

Directed by Katja Gauriloff, Je’vida follows Sanna-Kaisa Palo’s title character as she’s forced to confront her past after the death of her sister. Filmmaker Gauriloff, working from a script written alongside Niillas Holmberg, delivers an exceedingly (and, initially, excessively) deliberate drama that seems to be unfolding in slow motion at the outset, with the movie’s tolerable atmosphere, then, due predominantly to Tuomo Hutri’s striking, compelling cinematography. It’s only as Gauriloff begins offering up flashbacks into Je’vida’s difficult childhood that Je’vida begins to morph into a relatively compelling piece of work, with the eye-opening emphasis on the character’s grim experiences within a state-run residential school for indigenous children certainly enhancing the movie’s increasingly engaging atmosphere. The solid performances and intensely cinematic vibe enhances the better-than-expected feel, and although the picture is perhaps never quite as gripping as Gauriloffhas intended, Je’vida, which admittedly drags even at just 99 minutes, comes off as a well-made (and well-intentioned) endeavor that’s rarely as riveting as its subject matter.

**1/2 out of ****