My Fathers' Daughter

Raised by her single mother in the coastal Sámi village of Unjárga in the far north of Norway, Elvira has never known her father. Misled to believe she was conceived in Copenhagen, the teenager holds on to a childhood fantasy that her father is the Danish acting legend Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, the star of the hit series Game of Thrones. When her mother, Beate (Ingá Elisá Påve Idivuoma), announces that her new girlfriend is moving in, a frustrated Elvira holds firm to her belief that her half-Danish ancestry will soon mean an escape from small-town life and all its trappings.

For Elvira, this means the daily trials of being a teenager, including a frenemy/local influencer who becomes temporarily enamoured with Elivra’s personal circumstances. Then life, as it’s wont to do, throws a new curveball in Elvira’s way when she unceremoniously meets Terje (Aslat Mahtte Gaup), who’s recently been released from a long prison sentence. Much to her shock — and to her mother’s horror — Terje reveals that he’s her biological father. Devastated to learn a big part of her life was truly based on a flight of fancy, Elvira struggles to accept that she’s “just Sámi” as she’s sent into a tailspin of emotions.

Egil Pedersen’s delightful and playful debut feature film is an entertaining coming-of-age story. Sarah Olaussen Eira charms as the wistful Elvira, who reminds us that home — despite its sometimes mundane realities — can still hold many surprises, including finding one’s true self.

JASON RYLE