Three Miles North of Molkom (Metrodome Distribution Ltd, 2009).

TOURISM chiefs are reporting an increase in visitors to the Highlands and Islands this Summer. It seems that everyone is looking for somewhere to escape the pressures and strains of big city living.

That may also explain the growing popularity of the annual No Mind Festival in the forests of Angsbacka in northern Sweden. It now attracts a thousand guests each year, all determined to sample the New Age activities on offer at what has been called the ultimate playground for adults.

Three Miles North Of Molkom follows seven individuals who arrive at Angsbacka, and feels more like a work of fiction than a documentary. The seven include lecherous Swede Siddartha, fragile Finnish grandmother Mervi, glamorous singer/songwriter Regina and cynical Australian rugby coach Nick, who clearly regards the whole event as a waste of his time.

Over the course of the film we see individual prejudices challenged and changed as the far from magnificent seven confront their demons and sample everything from sweat lodges to firewalking, tantric sex and even some good old-fashioned tree hugging.

Directors Robert Cannan and Corinna Villari-McFarlane cannot help regarding these spectacularly self-absorbed individuals with a lofty smirk. The soul-searching conversations are frequently very funny, but the film maintains a light touch. It may have come to laugh, but it does acknowledge the humanity and vulnerability of individuals seeking a better understanding of themselves.

Three Miles North Of Molkom was made for a pittance but looks fantastic and provides both boundless entertainment and some thought-provoking drama as it captures every aspect of the No Mind experience from the sublime to the frankly ridiculous.

Selected nationwide release

Directors: Robert Canna, Corinna McFarlane
Certificate: 15
Running time: 107mins
Country: UK
Year: 2008

© Allan Hunter, 2009

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