Fjord (Norway’s Magical Fjords) (2017)

Directed by: Jan Haft | 51 minutes | documentary

The Norwegian fjords are among the most impressive landscapes in Europe. Rugged, dynamic and largely free of human habitation. Although the land biotope may look empty and inhospitable, beneath the waves lurks a surprisingly rich underwater world. In ‘Fjord’, renowned German filmmaker Jan Haft explores these extraordinary ecosystems and paints an intimate visual portrait of a unique wilderness.

Nature films come in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes the emphasis is mainly on the educational aspect, while other documentaries mainly focus on action, suspense and sensation. In films of the latter type, animals are most of the time hunting, fighting or mating. The wild nature here is above all a brutal arena, in which life is little more than a perpetual and merciless struggle to the death. Partly true, but also a bit too one-sided. For example, remember that even ferocious predators like big cats laze around most of the day, spending many more hours peacefully sleeping than hunting. In addition to the two film styles mentioned above, there is also a third kind of nature documentary, one that mainly focuses on the meditative effect that nature can have on people’s minds.

In ‘Fjord’ the emphasis is usually on the latter aspect. Colorful underwater corals, cone jellyfish and sea nudibranchs, thousands of knots that visit the fjords to refuel for their long treks and salmon that migrate up the river from the sea to produce offspring, provide epic and serene images that above all capture the multiplicity and aesthetic beauty of the illustrate nature. The enchanting atmosphere images are often enhanced by the enchanting background music. What is particularly striking is the targeted and creative use of time-lapse. The technique is used to speed up the movements of slow animals such as starfish and sea urchins or to visualize the effect of the tides.

‘Fjord’ not only has an eye for well-known nature icons, but also highlights many unusual animal species that the general public will hardly know. Think for example of the helmet jellyfish (which normally can only survive at great depths because it cannot withstand sunlight, but in the waters around the Norwegian fjords also rises to the surface in winter under a protective layer of ice), hagfish or Megabunus diadema, a thorn-covered harvestman. The images are provided with the necessary background information by narrator Nick Corkill, so that you as a viewer also learn something about the creatures you see and get an idea of ​​the role they play in the larger ecosystem.

There is also a lot to enjoy for lovers of spectacle and action. For example, we see how orcas and humpback whales drink from the rich supply of billions of herring. The great thing is that the hunt of the imposing marine mammals on the huge school of fish is filmed both underwater and from a bird’s-eye view. As a result, the scenes gain in dynamism and power. Another sequence that highlights the rawer side of nature is a fight between a number of female eiders and a common gull. The gull, lusting after the tasty chicks of the duck mothers, receives a firm beating from the feathered Amazons. A beautiful shot, in which we see a porpoise injured by a fishing net lying dead on the beach under a sky green-lit by the northern lights, also provides a touch of drama. Moreover, it is the only reference to humans in this otherwise entirely ecocentric film.

‘Fjord’ is a nature film that manages to capture the complexity of a special ecosystem well in images, especially because the necessary time and attention is reserved for less imaginative animals that do play an important role as natural recyclers or cleaners. . ‘Death gives life’ is a credo that is true in most natural ecosystems. Although the emphasis is on experience, the film is informative and spectacular at the same time. For lovers of the better nature film there is plenty to do in ‘Fjord’.