Elsa Stuorbma, the protagonist of Stolen, fights to protect her community’s culture and livelihood from those who threaten it. Elin Kristina Oskal and Risten-Alida Siri Skum play Elsa.
Elsa is the daughter of a Sámi reindeer herder. Reindeer in the region are an important part of her community’s culture.
When the day comes for Elsa to choose her own calf, she names it Nástegállu. Elsa becomes extremely attached to the calf and often visits it on her own.
During her usual routine of visiting Nástegállu, Elsa hides behind the bushes when she sees a man named Robert approaching. Elsa witnesses Robert kill Nástegállu.
When Robert realizes that Elsa saw him, he threatens her. Terrified, Elsa does not talk to her family about the incident.
Elsa’s father takes her to the police station to file a report, but when Elsa sees Robert there, she remains silent about the incident.
As a result, the police report Nástegállu as stolen and do not take action to catch the killer. The brutal reindeer killings continue for years to come.
Elsa’s resolve
As an adult, Elsa not only becomes a reindeer herder but also works as a teacher, educating children about her community’s history.
One day, when Elsa hears gunshots, she takes her brother, Matthias, to investigate and discovers reindeer carcasses. The siblings then follow the snowmobile tracks to find the culprit.
They arrive at Robert’s house, but since the police do not have a warrant, they cannot search his barn, where there is evidence of blood.
The police fail to charge Robert, and Elsa regrets not speaking up against him when she had the chance ten years ago.
Elsa blames herself for the slaughter of all the reindeer killed by Robert over the past decade.
However, Elsa is no longer a frightened young girl; she is determined to stop Robert, no matter the cost.
A fearless girl
While the elders of her community do not hold the police accountable for their failure to catch Robert and put an end to the killings, Elsa does.
She is not afraid to speak her mind and stand up to the locals who disregard her community’s struggle.
As a woman who does not believe in playing nice with everyone, Elsa’s actions earn her the disapproval of her community’s elders, including her own father.
After losing her friend Lasse, she warns Robert to stop killing their reindeer. In retaliation, Robert kills more of them.
Sick of the police’s inaction and her community’s passive stance, Elsa gives an interview to a reporter, highlighting that the slaughter of reindeer is a hate crime against her community.
The whole community faces repercussions from Elsa speaking her mind, as hate crimes against them increase significantly.
This results in the community forbidding her from attending their meetings. The exclusion affects Elsa, who is also threatened by Robert.
When Elsa sees Robert with a reindeer carcass, he breaks into her house when she is alone at night.
Elsa manages to save herself by contacting the police, but despite complaining about Robert threatening her, they do not charge him due to lack of evidence.
Elsa then decides to take matters into her own hands. She breaks into Robert’s barn to collect evidence but finds herself in trouble when Robert arrives there.
While running from Robert, she leads him to a frozen lake. Robert crashes his snowmobile, and despite everything, Elsa tries to save his life but fails.
Elsa confesses the whole truth about Robert’s death to the police. With Robert gone, the slaughter of the reindeer stops.
Elsa believes that it is Nástegállu who gave her the strength to fight; she still has Nástegállu’s ear, which she has kept safe for years.
Also Read: Stolen (2024) summary and ending explained