The Seer and the Unseen
“The Seer and the Unseen” gives us a look at environmental conservation through a connection with historical consideration that goes beyond landmarks. The film explores mythic ideas of reality that most of us simply dismiss as fantasy or the imagination of children. I truly believe Ragnhildur Jonsdottir, the subject of the documentary, when she says she communes with elves and trolls- as someone astutely points out, plenty of people believe in God, but they do not see him. Why can the same not be said for more fantastical creatures?
It’s interesting how, throughout history, humans believed one thing, and then, they didn’t. Of course, they never necessarily believed the exact same thing, and that’s part of how cultures have been divided over the years. At the beginning of her film, director Sara Dosa gives us a primer on the history of Iceland and its belief that the developing land contained mythic creatures, even showing us old footage of an elvish festival. Now, those beliefs no longer have a hold on Icelandic culture except for some like Ragnhildur Jonsdottir. But how humanity throws away some belief systems and replaces them with others is the subject of another documentary. For this film, it’s how those belief systems interact with the modern world. The answer is not very well. The way Dosa gets to that answer is compelling to watch.
There are several reasons for environmental upheaval and climate change. Again, that is the subject of another documentary. In this one, it is modernization for the sake of aiding connectivity; specifically, the building of a road on a land that was protected for its natural beauty. The land in Iceland in this film is beautiful and striking to look at; we get arguments from conservationists as to why the road is needless beyond the environmental impact on the land. Of course, when you’re also including invisible creatures in your argument, it’s hard to win that debate against people who feel differently than you do. I can understand the skepticism, but it also is hard not to take Ragnhildur seriously as she talks; her conviction is that strong. The world of what’s seen will almost always win out, however, especially when the unseen feels like the ideas of the fantastic, which humanity has collectively agreed is not real, even though they almost feel more plausible than some of our other belief systems. “The Seer and the Unseen” is worth seeing to consider whether you are able to truly accept one’s beliefs, or if you just think they’re wrong.
