Jon Blåhed
Raptures
Rörelser
SE
2025, 108, fit, sv, fi
Age 16+
What unites us can heal, but it can also divide. In 1930s northern Sweden, Tornedalen, Rakel devotes herself to her husband Teodor, the community, and faith. Yet the young teacher feels out of place – she can speak Swedish, while the other villagers live their days in Meänkieli. As the locals grow radicalised in resistance to the dominance of Swedish, they seek truth and solace in religion. Teodor – a self-declared spiritual leader – decides to take over a religious movement, proclaiming the end of the world and creating a vacuum of power. Increasingly isolated, Rakel will see her personal convictions and duties to husband and congregation tested to the very edge…
Swede Blåhed has created a Nordic take on Shyamalan’s cult classic The Village (2004) about a secluded group that can be controlled through fear and manipulation. The film is based on the novel Dawn; Red! (1988) by Swedish author Bengt Pohjanen, the director’s own experience as a preacher’s son, and facts about the Korpela cult led by Toivo Korpela, which in the 1920s and 30s broke away from Laestadianism, gradually transforming into a sexually charged, power-usurping and hedonistic sect. The winner of Big Screen Competition at Rotterdam steers clear of a didactic tone or the standardisation of historical drama – much like Lars von Trier’s Dogville (2003), the director offers an anatomy of extremism and populism, exploring how people with similar views can be mobilised to act in ways they would once have individually condemned.