Several people with amnesia realize they may have been involved in something sinister on a cosmic scale.
A priest gains popularity after his wife miraculously survives a deadly illness. But when the authenticity of the miracle is questioned, he has to prove it was God's power that saved her, which plunges him into the depths of the occult.
Set in a near-future Sweden, where jobs are scarce, margins are tight and corporate profit trumps all, this timely hybrid film reveals a frighteningly all-too-recognisable economic dystopia. Sköld highlights the effects of the ruthless system on families, friendships and communities. All but a hair’s breadth away from homelessness, zero-hours contract workers squabble over shifts at the discount supermarket while store manager Eleni, a new mother forced to return to work too soon, frantically pumps breast milk in the staff toilets. Poignant and compellingly performed, the film’s vignettes are punctuated with animated sequences, inventively exposing the dehumanising and absurdly wasteful effects of capitalism. And yet, beyond the store, an ever-growing ‘underclass’ offers a sense of hope through sustainability and true community.
Two weeks before the graduation exhibition at the art school, the new principal Jack von Rosen (Magnus Krepper) takes office. During his presentation, he presents business-oriented ideas and it turns out that he secretly represents an ancient society that wants to commercialize art. Meanwhile, one of the students, Irma (Isabelle Grill/Hilda Krepper), is commissioned by God to create the perfect work of art and thereby becomes a target for Jack and his company. The debuting directors from the collective KonstAB, however, do not let Irma stand alone in the fight, but give her support from the school’s two lecturers and not least a Danish Dadaist.
A featurette where Ari Aster and the cast break down the story and give us a behind the scenes look at the making of the film. It gives a fascinating look inside Ari Aster’s mind, and the detail put into production.
Several friends travel to Sweden to study as anthropologists a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. What begins as a dream vacation in a place where the sun never sets, gradually turns into a dark nightmare as the mysterious inhabitants invite them to participate in their disturbing festive activities.