Longyearbyen, located on the island of Svalbard between Scandinavia and the North Pole, is the world's northernmost settlement with a population of more than 1,000. But even if its gorgeous landscape looks almost like an alien planet, The Visitors reveals that the community is facing many of the same problems as the rest of us.
The Visitors follows Zdenka, an anthropologist from the University of Oslo, who moves to Longyearbyen with her family to study the changing community. Once a coal mining town made up almost entirely of Norwegian men, the town has grown increasingly diverse and more populous, driven by Norway's seemingly welcoming policy that anyone with a job and a place to live can settle there without a visa.
What immediately stands out about The Visitors is the stunning landscape. Longyearbyen is harsh yet gorgeous: no green is visible anywhere, and the town is surrounding by arctic waters and snow-covered mountains. These mountains, in particular, are stunningly captured by director Veronika Lisková, with an ambient score adding to the beauty. For the first half of the film, it's tempting to imagine what it would be like to live in Longyearbyen. It doesn't require a visa, after all!
As Zdenka's time in Longyearbyen stretches into its second year, however, she becomes increasingly disillusioned with local politics, as the town turns out to be not quite as welcoming to outsiders as it initially appeared. As non-Norwegians move to town, English increasingly becomes the most common language in Longyearbyen — and locals' desire to protect the Norwegian culture tips over into xenophobia among a few of Zdenka's interview subjects. Nearly everyone in the film is white — and, perhaps not coincidentally, the film's few people of colour are having a particularly difficult time establishing roots in the community.
Issues of climate change are also heightened in the far north, as Longyearbyen has experienced an increase in avalanches and extreme weather. Residents must grapple with their unsustainable of their way of life; since most of them aren't hunters and don't live off the land, they rely on supplies being shipped from the south, and there are numerous flights in and out of the town each week.
What begins almost as a nature documentary ends as a frustrated meditation on humanity, where many of the problems facing our species (and our planet) are heightened within this small community. For anyone who has ever fantasized about dropping out of the rat race and retreating into nature, it's a stark reminder that humanity's problems tend to follow us wherever we go.
Hot Docs Festival 2023 runs from April 27 to May 7. Get information about showtimes and tickets at the festival's website.
(Taskovski Films)The Visitors follows Zdenka, an anthropologist from the University of Oslo, who moves to Longyearbyen with her family to study the changing community. Once a coal mining town made up almost entirely of Norwegian men, the town has grown increasingly diverse and more populous, driven by Norway's seemingly welcoming policy that anyone with a job and a place to live can settle there without a visa.
What immediately stands out about The Visitors is the stunning landscape. Longyearbyen is harsh yet gorgeous: no green is visible anywhere, and the town is surrounding by arctic waters and snow-covered mountains. These mountains, in particular, are stunningly captured by director Veronika Lisková, with an ambient score adding to the beauty. For the first half of the film, it's tempting to imagine what it would be like to live in Longyearbyen. It doesn't require a visa, after all!
As Zdenka's time in Longyearbyen stretches into its second year, however, she becomes increasingly disillusioned with local politics, as the town turns out to be not quite as welcoming to outsiders as it initially appeared. As non-Norwegians move to town, English increasingly becomes the most common language in Longyearbyen — and locals' desire to protect the Norwegian culture tips over into xenophobia among a few of Zdenka's interview subjects. Nearly everyone in the film is white — and, perhaps not coincidentally, the film's few people of colour are having a particularly difficult time establishing roots in the community.
Issues of climate change are also heightened in the far north, as Longyearbyen has experienced an increase in avalanches and extreme weather. Residents must grapple with their unsustainable of their way of life; since most of them aren't hunters and don't live off the land, they rely on supplies being shipped from the south, and there are numerous flights in and out of the town each week.
What begins almost as a nature documentary ends as a frustrated meditation on humanity, where many of the problems facing our species (and our planet) are heightened within this small community. For anyone who has ever fantasized about dropping out of the rat race and retreating into nature, it's a stark reminder that humanity's problems tend to follow us wherever we go.
Hot Docs Festival 2023 runs from April 27 to May 7. Get information about showtimes and tickets at the festival's website.
