The Seer and the Unseen

2019

1 hr. 20 min.

Documentary

List

82%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

Set against the spectacular landscape of Iceland, THE SEER AND THE UNSEEN follows Ragnhildur "Ragga" Jónsdóttir, a grandmother and "seer" who has the ability to communicate directly with a parallel realm of elves -- invisible spirits of nature that over half of Iceland believes in. As a respected seer, government officials, businesses and individuals ask Ragga to consult the elves to learn where they can and cannot develop land. But not everyone listens. The elves enlist Ragga to help save an ecologically important lava field set to be razed by road construction -- just one of the many needless development projects spurred by Iceland's sensational financial meltdown in 2008. THE SEER AND THE UNSEEN follows Ragga's fight to protect this elfin landscape, exploring the human relationships to nature, economy and the enchanting power of belief.

Read More

Read Less

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent The Seer and the Unseen on Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Prime Video, Apple TV.

Sarah D

Magical, clever and full of heart. Taught me to see nature in a profound new way.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/15/22

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the most delightful, memorable documentaries I've ever seen. In fact, I can't believe this is a documentary. A truly moving portrait of a wise and charming woman and a thoughtful essay on the meaning of value. A must-see.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Loved this brilliant, poetic film. Ragga, the elf whisperer, is a charming and wise woman whose story serves as a window into not just Icelandic's magical landscapes, but into the nature of economic exchange. This was quite a clever film that turns into a meditation of capitalism, actually, though through a delightful character story. Artfully and smartly done. And highly recommended!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"A magic realist documentary about invisible elves, financial collapse and the surprising power of belief, told through the story of an Icelandic woman." Ragnhildur Jónsdóttir is a person who speaks on behalf of nature under the threat of great change. And she speaks to the past as well, a place that — well, we'll leave that up to you, dear viewer — may be still filled with elves and invisible forces that are able to still influence our modern world. It doesn't matter if you believe it or not. You just need to watch this. Ragga, as she is called, is a seer who communicates directly with a parallel realm of elves called the huldufólk that at least half of her native Iceland believes in. That means that businesses, individuals and even the government ask her to see where they should build and develop property. However, not everyone believes or listens to Ragga, so when a new highway begins construction across an untouched lava field near Reykjavik — and threatens an elven church within the rocks — Ragga fights to protect the homes of those who only she can see. Director/producer Sara Dosa said, "When I first learned about Ragga, I not only thought that she was a delightful, strong and wise person who'd make for an inspiring protagonist for a film, but also that her story provided an unexpected conduit to exploring the belief in invisible forces: be they invisible elves or the "invisible hand of the free market," to call upon Adam Smith's original phrase. By juxtaposing these systems of belief, I wanted to make a film about what humans choose to see: the spirits of the land who beckon protection for the environment or the valuations of an economic logic capable of producing gross inequality, environmental destruction and that bankrupted Iceland (among many others). My hope is that the film can show the power of these unseen forces and reveal not just what is worth seeing but what is worth saving." In her director's statement, Dosa really sets the tone for this film: "We can't see God, for instance, but so many of us believe God exists, and that belief has profound consequences on how many live their lives. The same is true of the forces animating markets, which are regularly taken as fact and the products of "natural laws," rather than understood as comprising a system of beliefs. Rather than state this in sentiment in academic language, our protagonist, Ragga Jónsdóttir, instead is the spirited conduit for this exploration. And, by juxtaposing these systems of belief, my desire ultimately was to make a film about what humans choose to see: the spirits of the land who beckon protection for the environment or determinations of economic value capable of bankrupting a nation. My hope is that the film shows these invisible forces that shape our world and transform our natural landscapes, revealing not only what is worth seeing but what is worth saving." To Ragga, the invisible hand that guides the world of money seems just as foreign as you or I may see the world of magic. Sosa is uniquely able to tell the story of this juxtaposition, as she graduated from the London School of Economics' joint Master's program in Cultural Anthropology and International Development Economics. We often see foreign countries as a strange place that we're afraid of exploring. Or we make fun of their unique customs. But perhaps by looking to these places, we can learn something new that can help the parts of the world that we inhabit. That's one of the many reasons why this film is worth more than just a look.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Sara Dosa

Director

Ragnhildur Jonsdottir

Actor

Bryndis Ingvarsdóttir

Screenwriter

Shane Boris

Producer

Sara Dosa

Producer

Nion McEvoy

Executive Producer

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

86%

%

Rock Bottom Riser

88%

90%

King Coal

96%

85%

Hail Satan?

TRAILER

for Hail Satan?

80%

84%

Genesis 2.0

TRAILER

for Genesis 2.0

100%

94%

Fantastic Fungi

TRAILER

for Fantastic Fungi

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Peter Keough

Boston Globe

The film casts the audience as an equal participant, searching for what’s not readily evident in the frame, and seeing meaning within it regardless.

Sep 13, 2023

Full Review

Nick Allen

RogerEbert.com

Nature is the most fascinating element of The Seer and the Unseen, but Dosa is more focused on Ragga and the elves.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 17, 2021

Full Review

Guy Lodge

Variety

This alleged elf whisperer makes for a highly unusual documentary subject and storyteller, at once wholly, earnestly truthful and questionable in her convictions.

Apr 29, 2019

Full Review

Pam Grady

AWFJ.org

What is better than [the cinematography] in this enthralling documentary is its peek into the life of one extraordinary woman and the real country behind the glossy brochures and Instagram posts.

Sep 13, 2023

Full Review

Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

A thoughtful and playful portrait of a culture where modern economic politics and traditional mythology collide.

Aug 16, 2021

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

Unseen Films

This film needed tighter focus, a clearer purpose, and about fifteen minutes shaved off.

Rated: 5/10

Sep 19, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Set against the spectacular landscape of Iceland, THE SEER AND THE UNSEEN follows Ragnhildur "Ragga" Jónsdóttir, a grandmother and "seer" who has the ability to communicate directly with a parallel realm of elves -- invisible spirits of nature that over half of Iceland believes in. As a respected seer, government officials, businesses and individuals ask Ragga to consult the elves to learn where they can and cannot develop land. But not everyone listens. The elves enlist Ragga to help save an ecologically important lava field set to be razed by road construction -- just one of the many needless development projects spurred by Iceland's sensational financial meltdown in 2008. THE SEER AND THE UNSEEN follows Ragga's fight to protect this elfin landscape, exploring the human relationships to nature, economy and the enchanting power of belief.

Director: Sara Dosa
Executive Producer: Nion McEvoy, Jon Shenk, Richard Berge, Leslie Berriman
Screenwriter: Bryndis Ingvarsdóttir
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Icelandic
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 17, 2021

Most Popular at Home Now