Raptures Film Review: The Languages of Belief

The Finnish-Swedish co-production Raptures goes back in time to tell the story of a sect that lived on the border between the two countries in the 1930s.

Inspired by true events, as well as elements of the director’s own childhood, it’s the first feature film ever to use the minority language Meänkieli (literally “our language”) for the majority of its dialogue, adding to the project’s strong and distinctive identity. 

While technically a dialect of Finnish, with strong mutual intelligibility with the standard variety, Meänkieli is considered a separate language – and has official minority status in Sweden – primarily for historical reasons, having developed in isolation after Sweden ceded part of its territory to Russia in 1809 (the area became known as the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous state within the Russian Empire, before becoming part of Finland proper after the country acquired its independence in 1917). 

Almost a century later, it was decreed all citizens of Sweden should speak Swedish, even in regions that were historically Finnish-speaking such as the Torne Valley, whose river marks the border between the two countries for roughly half its length. It’s in this area that the story of Raptures takes place, in the 1930s: as specified in the opening credits, 94% of the locals still spoke Finnish (or, more correctly, Meänkieli) as their first language, and half the population didn’t even understand Swedish. That’s where Rakel Martinsson (Jessica Grabowsky, 8-Ball) comes in, as the school teacher entrusted with making sure the new generation learns the country’s main idiom. 

A devout Christian, Rakel is married to Teodor (Jakob Öhrman, Tove), whose sermons are characterized by a strong sense of isolationism, as he refers to the region as Meänmaa, “our country”. He then decides to take it further by splitting from the Church and preaching his own interpretation of the will of God, creating a sect (inspired by the real-life Korpela Movement) that challenges Rakel’s previously unshakable faith. 

With cults of all kinds remaining as topical as ever, there is a present-day urgency to the way Blåhed tackles the topic, contrasting the charisma of the leader with the pained look of realization on the faces of those who understand things will not be as grand as promised. While some prime Finnish actors, including Alma Pöysti (Fallen Leaves), round out the cast, this is largely a two-hander between Grabowsky and Öhrman, an acting duel revolving around the thorny question of identity: national, linguistic, religious. Much like the language used by most of the characters, a Finnic dialect with plenty of words derived from Swedish, Rakel finds herself caught between two worlds, uncertain about where she belongs. 

The elemental beauty of the snowy landscape serves as the ideal counterpoint to the spiritual ugliness that gradually takes over the mood of the region, an ugliness that is nonetheless conveyed in an articulate manner: Blåhed’s script does an admirable job in capturing all the nuances of the three idioms in various stages of conflict. The contrast is also rendered for international audiences in a clear way: the subtitled version this writer watched marks the difference between Meänkieli, Finnish and Swedish by having the text in different colors, namely those of the two national flags – white, blue and yellow. It’s a nice touch that perhaps also serves as a reminder of how, despite their differences, the two countries often have found, and continue to find, common ground (pun intended).

Raptures (Rörelser) had its World Premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam on February 4, 2025 and is now available to watch at the festival both in person digitally. The film will be released theatrically in Finland on March 21, 2025 and in Sweden on May 2.