In rural Norway, a sun-dappled patch of woods encircles a large meadow punctuated only by a charming farm. This seems an idyllic place to raise a young family to accomplished photographer Maria and her hard-working English husband, Nik. There, they set out to live sustainably, prizing family and togetherness, and lovingly raise and homeschool their children, Ronja, Freja, Falk, and little Ulv (Wolfie), which Maria beautifully chronicles with her camera. Yet almost as soon as the film introduces us to her, Maria dies. Quietly cinematic and tenderly captivating, director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s film presents a family grieving and in transition. Jacobsen does an incredible job of blending Maria’s voice and photography with her own footage to produce a meditative, disarmingly frank, and visually poetic portrait about the strength of family even under the stress of monumental loss. The vérité style affords a palpable intimacy that quickly invests you in this family as they navigate the new wilderness before them. WFM