SYNOPSIS

The has-been schlager singer Fredrik has found a new calling. Nowadays, he tours the Swedish countryside as a psychic medium - once again getting showered with love and admiration, but now by the grieving and the lost.

As the grand finale of yet another sold-out show, Fredrik claims to become possessed by the deceased husband of a recently widowed audience member - a risky move, spiralling into a game of belief between the psychic, the widow and the audience. But in the end, who is really more desperate for solace and love?

INTENTION

Growing up, my mother dragged me along to an assortment of New Age activities. At first, it was just an expensive hobby, but when my father suddenly passed, and my mother lost her job, the life crisis pushed her deeper. Burdened by grief, and guilt from their quite tumultuous relationship, she searched for - and found - comfort with psychic mediums.

Observing this, I built a deep fascination for these people - the ones gathering around the grieving, lost and broken, offering answers to the unexplainable and instant pain relief from the deepest of wounds.

But what I saw was far from just cynical financial exploitation of the weakened, but rather something way more complex - an array of wants and needs filled by the intimate connection and gratification that comes from helping the grieving.

Do these psychic mediums really believe in what they do? Or have they convinced themselves that since it seems to help people, it must be true?

Inspired by Ulrich Seidl and Andrea Arnold, I want to deep dive into these problematic characters - create a love letter to the desperate, beautiful and sometimes absurd lengths we go to in the attempt to feel loved and forgiven for our shortcomings.