Apoteos

A small-town hairdresser takes a psychic medium course, where she becomes obsessed with healing a younger woman who has just lost her child — a relationship that sparks jealousy in the course leader.

When 55-year-old divorced hairdresser Carina witnesses a séance by the charismatic psychic medium Fredrik, she enrols in his course to become a psychic medium herself, hoping to find purpose in her lonely life.

There, Carina fixates on Hanna, a younger woman mourning her son’s death. Carina claims she can channel the spirit of the deceased child, letting Hanna hold him again — forming a secret bond between them.

Carina’s apparent success in helping the grieving mother, though no one knows how, sparks rivalry with course leader Fredrik.

As Hanna craves more and Fredrik schemes to undermine her, Carina’s deception spirals out of control — leading her into a dark place where she ironically begins to realise what she might truly be seeking in life.

Director's note

Growing up, my mother dragged me along to an assortment of New Age activities. At first just an expensive hobby, but when my father suddenly passed, and my mother lost her job of 35 years, 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 those people - the ones gathering around the grieving, lost and broken, offering answers to the unexplainable and instant relief from the deepest of wounds. What I saw was far from just cynical financial exploitation, 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.

Who am I to decide what’s right or wrong - if people should get the chance to move on, and at what cost? What does this mean for our society?
How far is it ok to go in our desperate pursuits to ease the pain we carry?

Inspired by Ulrich Seidl, Andrea Arnold and Isabella Eklöf, I want to create a love letter to these characters. A sensory portrait of the moral grey areas of the world of psychic mediums. I want to focus on the fact that we as humans, in our sometimes tragicomically desperate attempts at reaching love and forgiveness, ironically usually end up becoming our worst selves. An equally compassionate, and morally complex, sensory portrait of the deeply human urge to feel loved. More than that - to feel worthy of love - forgiven for our shortcomings.

Producer's note

APOTEOS explores deeply human longings: hope, comfort, validation, and connection — by asking how far we are willing to go to ease our inner pain. Against the backdrop of a renewed public fascination with New Age beliefs, the film engages with a timely and polarising subject. Today’s mediums and healers, no longer hidden behind late-night astrology shows, are increasingly visible in mainstream media, sparking both intrigue and scepticism.

Rather than taking a stance for or against such practices, APOTEOS offers a compassionate, curious lens on those drawn to the New Age world. It doesn’t ask whether faith is valid, but instead examines our vulnerabilities — our shame, yearning, and attempts to heal — in the face of life’s challenges. The story aims to appeal to both critical and open-minded audiences, reflecting the cultural relevance of its themes.

The project’s unique tone and perspective have already garnered national and international attention, as seen in the interest and funding received for both APOTEOS and its thematically linked short film, Dancing Pigeons. With co-production support for Dancing Pigeons from France (including CNC funding) and recognition from Swedish regional and national institutions, these indicators suggest strong potential and resonance for the full-length feature.

So far, for APOTEOS, we have received development support from the Swedish Film Institute, as well as regional support from Film i Skåne and Region Halland.

We are focused on universal appeal with this project — through strong characters and clear emotional causality, ensuring it invites an international audience into this quite specific and absurd part of Swedish society, and takes them on a resonant emotional ride.