‘Folktales’ Review: Anxious Teens Learn New Skills at an Arctic Folk High School
variety.comCarlos Aguilar In the observational “Folktales,” Oscar-nominated docmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (“Jesus Camp”) once again consider education and social context, a concept that marked their first collaboration, “The Boys of Baraka” in 2005.
They follow a trio of teenagers taking a “gap year” at a Norwegian Folk High School in Pasvik, located 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
The nine-month program, teaching outdoor survival skills and dog mushing as well as Norwegian language and culture, is open to teens from all over the world, although how the students are chosen, how many there are and what it costs to attend is never specified.
What shines through loud and clear is the importance of the feelings of self-confidence and direction engendered by acquiring such wilderness skills and deploying them successfully.
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