RAPTURES

by Jon Blåhed

In the remote northern reaches of 1930s Sweden, Rakel, a devout Christian, faces a profound moral quandary when her husband, Teodor, establishes a sect with purported divine guidance. As Teodor's actions veer into extremism, Rakel finds herself ensnared in a perilous web of faith and familial duty. With each passing day, the safety of her stepdaughter hangs in the balance, challenging Rakel to reconcile her deeply held beliefs with the alarming trajectory of her husband's increasingly erratic behavior.

Through Rakel's journey, the film delves into themes of faith, loyalty, and the consequences of unchecked fanaticism, offering audiences a poignant exploration of human frailty and resilience in the face of moral adversity.

Inspired by real events and the novel "Dagning; röd!" by Bengt Pohjanen, "Raptures" unfolds against the backdrop of a linguistic and cultural milieu, featuring Meänkieli as its primary dialogue.

Crew

Writer & director: Jon Blåhed
Producers: Andreas Emanuelsson & Tony Österholm
Co-producers: Tiina Pesonen (Rabbit Films), Erik Norberg & Sandra Warg (Filmpool Nord), Anna Croneman & Charlotta Denward (SVT)
DoP: Mimmo Hildén
Editor: Nina Ijäs
Production design: Vilja Katramo & Okku Rahikainen
Costume design: Viktoria Mattila
Make up design: Saara Räisänen
Sound design: Christoffer Demby
Original music: Rebekka Karijord

Cast

Rakel: Jessica Grabowsky
Teodor: Jakob Öhrman
Elsa: Maria Issakainen
Toivo Korpela: Samuli Niittymäki
Lisa: Alma Pöysti
Anton: Anton Raukola
Tyra Viola: Elina Knihtilä
Karl: Hannu-Pekka Björkman
Jorinda: Rebekka Baer
Valdemar: Hannes Suominen
Hannes: Sampo Sarkola
Rakels father: Sakari Kuosmanen
Rakels mother: Kati Outinen
and many more!

Produced by

Iris Film AB in co-production with Rabbit Films Oy, Filmpool Nord AB, SVT AB in association with LjudBang AB and Yle with support from The Swedish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation and Business Finland.

Production note

Original title: Rörelser
Meänkieli title: Liikheitä
Finnish title: Valitut
English title: Raptures
Festival release: International Film Festival Rotterdam, February 5th 2025
National release: May 2nd 2025
Finnish release: March 21st 2025

Genre: Drama
Runtime: 108 min
Language: Meänkieli, Swedish, Finnish

Nominations and awards

Winner: Big Screen Competition, IFFR 2025