Jon Blahed Takes on Real-Life Cult in ‘Raptures’

Jon Blåhed found a timely story in 1930s period drama “Raptures.”

“Some of these things happen today as well,” he says.

Inspired by the so-called “Korpela Movement” – a controversial religious sect that first emerged in Northern Sweden and was later known for its apocalyptic beliefs and unorthodox rituals, as well as sexual practices – he wasn’t looking to spread gossip.

“It wasn’t just about taking the juiciest stories, but staying true to what I thought was important. I grew up in that region. I’m a son of the village preacher and I’ve heard whispers about this movement when I was a kid. It always felt a bit wrong, like something you weren’t supposed to discuss.”

Later in life, Blåhed found himself questioning religious dogmas.

“I was forced to go to church as a kid, and I didn’t like it. It was weird, hearing your own dad talk about death and the afterlife,” he admits. But he hasn’t forgotten about the Korpela Movement.

“I remember talking to a colleague of mine 10 years ago, and this subject came up again. I found myself refuting their claims: ‘It wasn’t like that!’ I realized: ‘Well, maybe I should be the one telling this story.’”

“Raptures,” produced by Andreas Emanuelsson and Tony Österholm for Iris Film AB and co-produced by Tiina Pesonen for Rabbit Films, is not just about religion. Things get personal not just for Blåhed, but his female protagonist as well.

Rakel (Jessica Grabowsky, soon to be seen in series “Icebreaker”) is faced with an unusual dilemma: her husband Teodor (Jakob Öhrman) establishes a sect. As things start to take an odd turn, she needs to decide if you really need to stand by your man – even when he’s convinced that he’s the Savior himself.

“How would you react in that situation? Especially if you are a strict Christian that can’t really question patriarchy? My grandmother was a Laestadian [Christian revival movement]. She was timid and not very outspoken, but ultimately also a strong person. I knew it would be up to Jessica and her face to tell a big part of this story.”

Rakel isn’t always silent, however, also looking up to heaven for answers.

“She has these conversations with God, which help us understand how she really feels. She doesn’t necessarily show it, but she’s conflicted about what’s happening. Jessica said that by the end of the shoot, her jaw was hurting. She always had to keep everything in,” says Blåhed.

He surrounded Grabowsky with other acclaimed Finnish actors, from Elina Knihtilä to Golden Globe nominee Alma Pöysti, seen in “Fallen Leaves.”

“I love Finnish films, my dad is from Finland and I am so happy everyone wanted to be a part of it, also because we shot in a dying language they don’t actually speak: in Meänkieli,” he reveals.

It made for a “tough journey” for the entire team, but also a worthwhile one.

“In Sweden, it’s also political. Meänkieli is considered a ‘minority language’ there: in Finland, it’s a ‘dialect.’ Coming from that region, I knew how much it would mean to local people and I wanted to make them proud. It’s difficult to keep this language alive, but they are doing such a good job. It’s the first feature film ever shot in Meänkieli. It just felt right.”

So did shooting in the region where the original story took place.

“Being from the North, it was important to shoot in the North,” he smiles.

“After the premiere, I want to go back there again. It’s a sensitive subject, this movement. It always has been. I want to talk to people about it, because you can still find relatives of those who were in the cult. In small communities, it’s so easy for shame to linger on. You can’t shake it off. This film might bring it to the surface again, but hopefully it will be a good thing for everyone involved.”

Blåhed is currently working on the final cut of the film, presented at the 2023 Finnish Film Affair and set to premiere early next year. Sold by Picture Tree International, it debuts the trailer here:

“It’s not all black and white. It’s not easy to say what’s this cult’s exact goal, or what’s good and what’s bad. People were happy to be a part of these gatherings and some of these leaders actually gave them hope,” he adds.

“[In ‘Raptures’] Teodor is not a bad guy… And yet he is. I don’t think that today, he could go on for that long before being stopped, although some surely try. I hope it can make us think about spirituality and about what it gives to people. They join these communities for very different reasons, with different agendas and different dreams.”

Picture Tree International’s Andreas Rothbauer adds: “Beside its historic setting, the subject is timely for today, if not timeless ­– with so many examples throughout history where the thin line between devotion and delusion becomes blurry.”

“There seems to be this timeless temptation not just to believe, but to claim to know the real truth, which consequently is the source of many conflicts. Today, with even more fragmented societies, this is even truer than it was back then.”