A New Kind of Wilderness

Silje Evensmo Jacobsen / Norway / 2024 / 83 min

With home-schooling and a self-sufficient farm, the Payne family looks like a true modern, happy dream come true. The four children and their loving parents live an idyllic life in the Norwegian woods far from iPads and school meetings. But when the mother tragically passes away, the young family is forced into a flurry of dilemmas and must rethink their future in the countryside and their relationships with each other. Should they move back to England, where Nik, the father, is from and has his entire family? How can Nik homeschool when he also has to work? And how hard will he have to stick to the promises he made to his wife before she died? ‘A New Kind of Wilderness’ digs deep into the vulnerable family dynamics of tragedy and finds a love that is contagious, inspiring and touching. Over the course of several years, the camera follows the family as they carefully try to integrate back into the modern world and attempt to accept grief as a lifelong companion.