The Kautokeino Rebellion

For centuries the windswept mountain plateau of northern Scandinavia has been inhabited by the native sami population and their reindeers. But modernisation is about to enter the desolate village of Kautokeino where the authority is held by the prosperous and ruthless liquor dealer Ruth, staring Mikael Persbrandt. One of the native tribes, led by the young woman Elen, refuses to pay their unjust debt to Ruth. Without a trial, Ruth manages to imprison most of Elen’s tribe, leaving Elen alone to take care of the reindeers. Elen gets help to set up a trial in which the men are released, but Ruth claims ownership of the tribe’s reindeers to cover the cost of the trial. Loosing the basis of their lives, Elen and her tribe have little choice but to oppose to Ruth’s claim, leading to one of the most dramatic episodes in northern Scandinavian history.