A Year Alone in Nature – Film Review of Moments in the Wilderness
A Year in Sweden’s Remote Wilderness
Moments in the Wilderness is the debut feature-length film by Swedish landscape photographer Magnus Lindbom. For twenty years, Lindbom has explored northern Sweden, honing his photography and capturing remote mountain landscapes bathed in ethereal, dramatic light. This recently self-shot film documents a year of Lindbom’s journeys, as he hikes, skis, and kayaks through the mountains of Sarek and Muddus National Parks and the forests and lakes of Tjeggelvas Nature Reserve.
Slow, Meditative Nature Documentary Filmmaking
The opening scenes unfurl slowly, featuring backlit fog rising gently from a lake, accompanied by the dawn chorus from deep within dense surrounding forest. The 59-minute documentary maintains this slow pace throughout, reflecting Lindbom’s weeks of solitude across multiple journeys in all four seasons. It reminds me a little of the Norwegian concept of slow television, where everyday events are screened at their natural pace with limited edits. Although in this case the scenery is anything but mundane.
Stunning Seasonal Landscapes and Nordic Light
Lindbom provides sparse yet poignant voice-over narration, set against beautiful footage of grand landscapes, intimate scenes of light and land, and evocative audio recordings of ptarmigan, loon, elk, and other wildlife. The Swedish photographer lets the seasons blend seamlessly into one another, with little beyond the visuals to mark the film's chronology or locations. It feels as though he’s inviting you to fully immerse in the moment, to simply enjoy his visual meditation on the natural world.
A Visual Meditation on Solitude and Nature
“I wanted to capture those special moments—the fleeting light, the stillness, the way nature changes over time. But more than that, I want the viewer to experience the spirit of the wilderness, to feel what I feel when I’m out there alone”
The most enjoyable sections, for me, are set in the high mountains, where Lindbom captures the vibrant pastel pink skies that are especially vivid in the far north. For these dramatic scenes, the Swedish photographer ventured deep into Sarek National Park during winter. This region, one of the most inaccessible in Europe, has no marked trails or cabins. The scenes here were likely hard won.
For those who make the effort to travel in Sarek, the rewards are plentiful: over a hundred glaciers lining impressive peaks, some of which descend into deep valleys and river deltas. I was left wishing for more of Sarek’s drama, particularly in spring and summer, where the film primarily focuses on the quieter, but still evocative, old pine forests of Muddus and Tjeggelvas. Yet perhaps that is the strength of Lindbom’s edit—leaving the viewer wanting just a little more.
Moments in the Wilderness is a subtle yet magnetic call to the wild. Unlike many heavily choreographed, fast-paced contemporary adventure films, it left me longing to strap on a pack and venture out alone—without a companion, fixed schedule, or set trail to follow. I’m confident that if you watch it, the far north of Sweden, or indeed any wild place, will call to you too.
Where to Watch Moments in the Wilderness
Moments in the Wilderness was released on 25th December 2024, and can be purchased (£13) for viewing online via the following link: https://magnuslindbom.com/shop/moments/film-moments
All images are copyright Magnus Lindbom. This review was first published in the print version of The Great Outdoors Magazine.
