Ingeborg Raustol, star of the latest Nordic noir, says there’s no place like Norway – in summer or winter
Claire Webb - 22 January 2019
The latest Scandi import is set in a village in Arctic Norway, where snow-shrouded peaks and lonely woods are the backdrop to spine-chilling goings-on. When a little girl vanishes after finding a severed hand in a river, the investigation is impeded by the tight-knit Sami community and neighbouring military base, which both harbour dark secrets.
The River was filmed in the region of Malselv, named after a mighty river famous for its salmon and thunderous Malselvfossen, one of Norway’s finest waterfalls. Some of Europe’s last wildernesses are found here: the endless forests are presided over by wild moose, while wolverines and lynx roam the peaks. In summer, you can hike for days without seeing a soul and the sun doesn’t set for two months. In winter, you can ski, tackle the trails in snow shoes or hurtle across mountain plateaus on a sleigh pulled by huskies.
The sun disappears completely from the end of November to 12 January, and the only light is a blue-tinged twilight for a few hours a day – unless the northern lights dance across the night sky. “The nature was amazing. It felt quite exotic to get the chance to live and work in this environment,” says Ingeborg Raustol, who plays The River’s ambitious commander in the intelligence corps – one of those no-nonsense female protagonists that Nordic noir so brilliantly celebrates. “I really appreciated the fact that we were so isolated from everyone else. We had a tight schedule and to be able to stay in this world both on and off set was great. We went north in November and the shoot ended just before Christmas. Mostly it was around minus 15 to 20, but some days it was 30 degrees below zero. The other challenge was the lack of light.”
The drama is set even further north in Norwegian Lapland: Finnmark, a county that’s bigger than Denmark and borders Russia to the east, Finland to the south and the Atlantic and Arctic oceans to the north. In this sparsely populated region, decades-old political tensions run as deep as the fjords that furrow its coastline.
“During the Second World War, the relationship between Norway and Russia was good and Russia liberated Finnmark,” explains Raustol. “But during the Cold War, the relationship became complicated. Norway participated in Nato and Finland was Soviet, and the fear was that the Soviets would come across the border. Even today, the atmosphere at the borders is tense and we have an ongoing spy case where a Norwegian citizen is accused of spying on Russia.”
Norway is home to around half of the Sami people, who roamed northernmost Europe for thousands of years, herding reindeer and fishing on the coast. They were discriminated against for centuries (“Laplander” is derogatory in Scandinavia) and Finnmark came under suspicion for being more East than West-facing, especially after Russia came to their rescue. “In the postwar years, communists were persecuted in Norway and today there is still paranoia in northern Norway. Most people in the north will probably say that the Cold War is far from over.”
While The River might not cast Arctic Norway in the most flattering light, Raustol hopes it won’t put viewers off exploring its wilds. In fact, she thinks everybody should visit twice: in winter and in summer. Which is her favourite? “I can’t choose! Norwegian summers are the best. The midnight sun is absolutely wonderful and Norwegians are so cute: it’s like they’ve never experienced summers before and everyone is so happy all the time. And the winters – I love going up to the mountains to my family’s cabin and spending my days cross-country skiing.”
Her favourite place to enjoy the midnight sun is Bodo, an arty coastal city encircled by rugged peaks. “Go to the beautiful beach called Mjelle. Bring sleeping bags and everything you need to stay out all night, drinking cava, enjoying the spectacular light in those beautiful northern summer nights.” For those keen to experience an Arctic winter and learn more about Sami culture, she recommends visiting their winter base, Kautokeino, during the Easter festival, when they traditionally gathered before moving their herds to the coast to calve. These days the programme includes reindeer-racing, lasso contests, exhibitions, music concerts and theatre. “Go on a snow scooter safari, join the Sami while they feed their reindeer, go to a Sami party. There’s so much going on, a good chance of seeing the northern lights and nice people all over.”
The River was filmed in the region of Malselv, named after a mighty river famous for its salmon and thunderous Malselvfossen, one of Norway’s finest waterfalls. Some of Europe’s last wildernesses are found here: the endless forests are presided over by wild moose, while wolverines and lynx roam the peaks. In summer, you can hike for days without seeing a soul and the sun doesn’t set for two months. In winter, you can ski, tackle the trails in snow shoes or hurtle across mountain plateaus on a sleigh pulled by huskies.
The sun disappears completely from the end of November to 12 January, and the only light is a blue-tinged twilight for a few hours a day – unless the northern lights dance across the night sky. “The nature was amazing. It felt quite exotic to get the chance to live and work in this environment,” says Ingeborg Raustol, who plays The River’s ambitious commander in the intelligence corps – one of those no-nonsense female protagonists that Nordic noir so brilliantly celebrates. “I really appreciated the fact that we were so isolated from everyone else. We had a tight schedule and to be able to stay in this world both on and off set was great. We went north in November and the shoot ended just before Christmas. Mostly it was around minus 15 to 20, but some days it was 30 degrees below zero. The other challenge was the lack of light.”
The drama is set even further north in Norwegian Lapland: Finnmark, a county that’s bigger than Denmark and borders Russia to the east, Finland to the south and the Atlantic and Arctic oceans to the north. In this sparsely populated region, decades-old political tensions run as deep as the fjords that furrow its coastline.
“During the Second World War, the relationship between Norway and Russia was good and Russia liberated Finnmark,” explains Raustol. “But during the Cold War, the relationship became complicated. Norway participated in Nato and Finland was Soviet, and the fear was that the Soviets would come across the border. Even today, the atmosphere at the borders is tense and we have an ongoing spy case where a Norwegian citizen is accused of spying on Russia.”
Norway is home to around half of the Sami people, who roamed northernmost Europe for thousands of years, herding reindeer and fishing on the coast. They were discriminated against for centuries (“Laplander” is derogatory in Scandinavia) and Finnmark came under suspicion for being more East than West-facing, especially after Russia came to their rescue. “In the postwar years, communists were persecuted in Norway and today there is still paranoia in northern Norway. Most people in the north will probably say that the Cold War is far from over.”
While The River might not cast Arctic Norway in the most flattering light, Raustol hopes it won’t put viewers off exploring its wilds. In fact, she thinks everybody should visit twice: in winter and in summer. Which is her favourite? “I can’t choose! Norwegian summers are the best. The midnight sun is absolutely wonderful and Norwegians are so cute: it’s like they’ve never experienced summers before and everyone is so happy all the time. And the winters – I love going up to the mountains to my family’s cabin and spending my days cross-country skiing.”
Her favourite place to enjoy the midnight sun is Bodo, an arty coastal city encircled by rugged peaks. “Go to the beautiful beach called Mjelle. Bring sleeping bags and everything you need to stay out all night, drinking cava, enjoying the spectacular light in those beautiful northern summer nights.” For those keen to experience an Arctic winter and learn more about Sami culture, she recommends visiting their winter base, Kautokeino, during the Easter festival, when they traditionally gathered before moving their herds to the coast to calve. These days the programme includes reindeer-racing, lasso contests, exhibitions, music concerts and theatre. “Go on a snow scooter safari, join the Sami while they feed their reindeer, go to a Sami party. There’s so much going on, a good chance of seeing the northern lights and nice people all over.”