“Folktales”

With its heartfelt human focus, “Folktales” is a gentle, immersive documentary that delivers a surprising emotional impact. It’s the kind of film that makes you genuinely root for its subjects as they evolve and discover where they belong.

Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, the film follows a group of teenagers who enroll in a traditional folk high school in Arctic Norway for a kind of gap year that’s anything but typical. In a land where survival isn’t a metaphor but a daily reality, the students are tasked with learning to mush sled dogs, navigate the harsh northern terrain, and figure out who they are in a world that increasingly demands a great deal of resilience.

With its slow observational style, the film drags a little. There are too many details presented, and it would’ve been easy to cut at least a handful of scenes. What the film lacks in pace it more than makes up for in emotional depth. This is a story of great tenderness, sadness and joy, a tale where pain and discovery are interwoven with the quiet dignity of hard-earned growth. Anyone who remembers the struggles of growing up will relate to watching these teenagers transform their lives in real time.

The documentary captures subtle but profound shifts as the students take responsibility for their sled dogs and lean into the challenges of Arctic life. The dogs are full of character too, serving as mirrors, companions, and sometimes the very force that pulls these kids toward maturity. It’s just beautiful to see.

There’s something deeply moving about the way the film captures the growing relationship between students and dogs. It’s an unspoken, trusting, and deeply mutual dance of respect and love. The dogs bring out the best in their humans, just as the humans begin to realize what they’re capable of through their bond with the animals. Watching that unfold is a quiet joy, and it gives the film its emotional center.

With long pauses of silence and reflection, this is not a documentary that spoon-feeds its meaning. Ewing and Grady take pause and give audiences time to feel.

“Folktales” is a beautiful reminder of the power of slowness, solitude, and shared responsibility. It’s not just about dogs or snow or coming of age, but about what happens when young people are given a real challenge and the space to rise to it.

By: Louisa Moore