No Rest for the Wicked
Set in the Faroe Islands in the 19th century, this darkly romantic queer horror follows two fishermen whose love proves stronger than death.
In this exceptionally original, queer vampire film, love never dies. The year is 1862 and Baldur is living a quiet life with his mother in a remote fishing village on the Faroe Islands when Helge, a charismatic whaler, arrives on the island. The attraction between them opens a whole new world for Baldur.
Kaspar ”Kalle” Skovsbøl’s slow-burning film seems like a traditional romantic tale for a long time. Then tragedy hits, the atmosphere changes suddenly, and the love story plunges deep into the world of gothic horror.
The film is based on Karl Heinrich Ulrichs’s short story Manor, published in the 1880s, which counts among the first works of literature combining the themes of homosexual love and vampires. Kalle uses the imagery of vampire mythology in clever ways to portray desire, shame, and the fear of the unknown.
Through Jacob Møller’s cinematography, the Faroe Islands appear simultaneously breathtakingly beautiful and threatening, and the wistful music deepens the film’s sense of longing. Beneath its slow rhythm, the film keeps the tension running under the skin. The result is a romantic, sorrowful, and strangely comforting love story that asks whether love can endure even after death.
Iiro Myller (translated by Herman Tikkanen)
Screenings
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Bio Rex LasipalatsiThu 24.9. at 20.45–22.28103 min, 1/1