Page - 134 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 02/02

134 | Sofia Sjö www.jrfm.eu 2016, 2/2, 123–140 tadius’ preaching of temperance inspires Elen, and Laestadius’ words also have a profound effect on Elen’s husband, who stops drinking and joins in the ser- vices led by Elen. Overall the movement inspired by Laestadius’ words and led by Elen in Kautokeino is portrayed as very loving and caring. The members are shown to be close to each other and to help each other out. Interestingly, this positive representation of Laestadianism contrasts with the way in which mem- bers of the movement are usually portrayed in Nordic films and other media as hypocrites or prone to violence, much more similar to Stockfleth or Stig. In general, both in media and in society at large, the movement has been prone to prejudice due in part to its very traditional lifestyle choices.27 In The Kautokeino Rebellion (2008) its followers’ image is very different, illustrating perhaps the filmmaker’s interest in highlighting the essentiality of the movement for the Sami community at the time and in showing respect for it today.28 Although the Sami appear to be Laestadians in the film, it is worth highlight- ing the way in which the movement is constructed. At first the characters are inspired by Laestadius and are shown reading his texts, but the scenes with the Sami are focused not on preaching but rather on community and nature. This gives the movement a more spiritual tone. The Sami’s break with the Lutheran church also highlights the movement’s difference from what is represented as the traditional church and traditional Christianity. For the purposes of this study, it is interesting to note how the movement and the religious space it cre- ates are gendered. Since the community is led by a woman, a space is created for women, and with its focus on family and community the movement can be argued to be gendered as feminine. However, the fact that men also have a place in this community and are shown to be changed by the community means that this is a space where masculinity, too, is imagined somewhat differently. The Sami community and the movement led by Elen are represented as an ideal, but that ideal is not allowed to last. After first breaking free and creating something new, Elen and her community reach a new low when Stockfleth and his compatriots retaliate, causing the Sami to rebel, with murder and execu- tions following as a consequence. In the end, the church is partly redeemed through the figure of a young bishop who sees the struggles of the Sami and through a pastor who prays for the Sami who are to be executed toward the end of the film. Despite the tragic end, in the final scene, set a couple of decades later and showing Elen talking to her now grown-up son, the film alludes to the idea that the Sami’s plight is honest and just and that faith can play a part in the struggle against oppression and open up spaces for agency and alternative gender ideals. 27 Sjö/Häger 2015. 28 Christensen/Kraft 2011.