Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s documentary follows three students enrolled in a 10-month gap-year program at Pasvik Folk High School in Norway, near the Russian border. Originally founded in the 1840s to provide rural populations in Scandinavia with access to education, folk schools have since spread worldwide. At Pasvik, students learn languages, traditional dance, and—under snowy, harsh conditions—survivalist skills: how to build a fire, set up camp, and go dog sledding with Siberian huskies. As one instructor puts it, the goal is to disconnect from the disorder of modern life and awaken the “Stone Age brain.”

Cinematographer Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo’s opening shots—of a night sky, a sickle moon, and shadows of trees cast across glittering snowdrifts—create an immediately immersive experience, while a voice-over recounts the Norse Tree of Life myth. Throughout, the natural world and its rituals are often contrasted with the synthetic modern one: a phone trills under the image of the northern lights. T. Griffin’s flute-heavy score enhances the sense of isolation and the aura of ancient folktales, while also capturing the playful, lithe movement of the blue-eyed huskies.

Beyond its simple yet evocative look and style, one of the film’s most exquisite aspects is its quiet, respectful attention to the insecurities and inner turmoil of its three subjects. While it doesn’t delve deeply into all aspects of the school (montages breeze over some of the coursework) or include much about other students, focusing on just this trio keeps the film intimate and impactful.

Hege, 19, feels her life is in “chaos.” She parties under strobe lights, scrolls through social media, and wonders what’s next. Her father died when she was young (the circumstances are never made clear), and the trauma still weighs heavily on her—she can barely bring herself to say aloud that he was killed. One vivid memory of seeing sled dogs with him out in the wild led her to join the Pasvik program.

Bjørn, also 19, doesn’t have many friends and worries that everyone finds him annoying. He feels like an outcast and is deeply pessimistic about making new connections.

Romain, 18, dropped out of high school. He lacks confidence and is plagued by persistent, fearful thoughts. Early in the program, he learns he’ll have to use a saw to cut firewood and is instantly overcome with anxiety, saying he doesn’t even know how to hold it. Romain’s story may be the most affecting, particularly as we witness both his setbacks and small, hard-won triumphs.

Dog-lovers—and perhaps even the dog-agnostic—will be moved by the presence of the huskies. They offer emotional companionship but can also be fickle and hard to control. The dog sledding sequences under gray skies are thrilling and majestic, especially when Romain takes the helm. In that moment, he seems happy and in control, his face breaking into a rare, wide grin: an emotional gut punch in a thoughtful, quietly powerful coming-of-age documentary.