NIGHTBORN
Filmmaker Hanna Bergholm brings Fantasia 2026 audiences a twisted tale of motherhood and Finnish folk horror in NIGHTBORN. Newlywed couple Saga and Jon arrive at Saga’s childhood home in Finland. It is an enchanting, if not slightly spooky, house hidden deep in the eerily shaped woods. Following the birth of their son, motherhood proves challenging when Saga suspects her child is not like other babies.
Written by Ilja Rautsi and Bergholm, the script cleverly combines tropes, such as the language barrier, with the real-life, unfiltered physical horrors of birth and motherhood. Unless you’ve experienced the very real blood, sweat, and tears that Saja goes through in the first 15 minutes of the film, one might think they are exaggerated.
The emotional exhaustion of being another creature’s lifeblood is often overwhelming. The constant realization that survival depends on your every moment of attention can be too much. Family members try to help, but can unintentionally make things worse. Rautsi and Bergholm play upon a mother’s inherent instincts. They give Saga enhanced hearing and a supernatural connection to the surrounding woods.
On the other hand, Rautsi and Bergholm give her family members a deep loathing for Saga that the audience does not relate to. These jarring revelations make the viewer question reality even further, as we have no basis for these accusations. Stories from her childhood, as told by her mother and sister, present as nasty. But are they true? We never know.
Production design is extraordinary. Beyond the forest’s gnarled humanoid likeness, the nursery is a mix of gothic whimsy one might see in Architectural Digest. Any 90s witchy tween will be in heaven at the sight of each carefully curated element. Practical effects are beautifully gagworthy. Yes. Yes. Yes. Birth is a miracle, blah, blah, blah, but it’s almost visceral and revolting. Anyone who tells you different is a damn liar. Talk to me after you have a C-section, thank you very much.
Rupert Grint is a proud father and fish out of water as Jon. Grint does his best impression of calm and supportive while clearly flailing in fear and helplessness. Grint has become a genre icon, ironically in stories revolving around “special” children. Seidi Haarla is sheer perfection as a mother on the verge of insanity. Her feral performance is the stuff of cinematic dreams. Along the lines of Inde Navarrette in Obsession, women in horror earn every ounce of respect and need to be called out for their vulnerability and badassery. Bravo Seidi.
We do not see Kuura’s face for 99% of the film, sneakily adding to the contextual weight. The audience feels the dizzying gaslighting and emotional state of Saga. Rautsi and Bergholm give audiences a lived-in authenticity of outside judgment and sacrifices of a mother. NIGHTBORN is a genre-inspired manifestation of nature vs nurture. Mothers will do anything for their offspring.
Synopsis
With dreams of starting a perfect family, Saga (Seidi Haarla, Compartment No. 6) and her British husband Jon (Rupert Grint, Knock at the Cabin) move to the isolated house where she spent much of her childhood, deep in the Finnish forest. But as soon as their baby is born, despite the reassurance of all around her, Saga knows there’s something terribly wrong with her son. As their marriage starts to crack, Jon struggles to support his wife, but only Saga suspects the terrible truth about her newborn.
From the director of Hatching, NIGHTBORN is a visceral, gripping and terrifying dark fable about motherhood and unconditional maternal love.
About the Director
Hanna Bergholm is a Finnish film director. Her debut feature film, horror drama Hatching, had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2022 and has been sold to over 75 countries. Rotten Tomatoes named Hatching the 8th Best Horror Movie of 2022 in the Golden Tomato Awards. At film festivals Hatching has won awards and nominations including the Grand Prize and Youth Jury Award at the Gérardmer film festival in France, award for the best special effects in Sitges and three Jussi Awards in Finland. Previously Bergholm has directed internationally awarded short films and TV drama series.
Director: Hanna Bergholm
Screenwriters: Ilja Rautsi and Hanna Bergholm
Cast: Seidi Haarla, Rupert Grint, Pamela Tola, Pirkko Saisio, Rebecca Lacey, John Thomson, Silvia Saloranta
Producer: Daniel Kuitunen
Executive Producers: Brahim Chioua, Nick Shumaker, David Levine, Scott Shooman, Emily Gotto
Cinematographer: Pietari Peltola
Editor: Jussi Rautaniemi
Language: English, Finnish
Runtime: 92 mins
DROWNING DRY
The organic meandering of unplanned vacation time reads entirely authentic. The montage of the kids’ initial shenanigans and their mothers’ choreographed childhood dance are stand-out moments. At this point in the runtime (35 minutes), the audience could easily tap out. But the request for a swim and an innocent act of horseplay trigger a tonal shift.
The film’s deliberate observational pace builds discomfort, only exacerbated by non-linear storytelling. The moment you realize what’s happening, it is like a punch to the gut. This decision will either tantalize audiences or turn them off. Performances are outstanding from our cast of only six. Bareiša’s camerawork is perfect for his stylistic choices. DROWNING DRY is a meditation on loss, examining the varying emotional reactions between the sexes. It is a film that will have you talking about it long after the screen goes dark.
Čejen Černić Čanak profound Berlinale drama SANDBAG DAM follows Marko, an athletic young man navigating his younger brother, school, sports, and girlfriend, Petra. His life upends when Slaven returns home for his father’s funeral. With the threat of flooding in his small Croatian village, his long-lost feelings for Slaven threaten everything.
Marko exists in a traditionally masculine environment. His father is a mechanic, training him to take over the business and compete in an upcoming arm wrestling competition. His free time consists of drinking at parties and attending to his eager-to-please girlfriend. Then, his seemingly easy life suddenly halts when Slaven returns after three years and no goodbye.
The story slowly reveals itself with an innocent bitterness and longing. If you go into the film blind, nothing is spoonfed to the audience. It is beautifully paced. The homophobia in Sandbag Dam is excruciating. The weaponization of hurt and ignorance is devastating.
The performances are spectacular. Leon Grgić is endearing as younger brother Fićo. He has a genuine star quality. His purity will make your heartache. Andrija Žunac gives Slaven an authenticity that is calming. His unapologetic aura is sensational. Lav Novosel delivers a pitch-perfect turn as Marko. Torn between the life he yearns for and the one he feels forced to accept, Novosel brings us on an emotional roller coaster we have no control over. You feel the conflict in your soul.
The film has a similar energy to Brokeback Mountain. Its restrained tension is waiting to burst at any moment. There is no denying the double entendre of the title. As the floodwaters rise, so do the tensions of secrets and feelings. Screenwriter Tomislav Zajec provides stunning metaphors. SANDBAG DAM is an important story. It is one that so many LGBTQ youth must endure. The final moments will have you talking about this film long after the credits roll.
Giedrius Kiela and Gabija Bargailaite play Paulius and Indre, respectively. Each brings qualities of pain. Kiela’s aggression has the audience in a death grip. His volatility is frightening. Bargailaite is more subtle. Her unraveling happens in a finale that breaks you. They are hypnotizing. 
Slick editing and long takes on a stationary camera make the audience an unwilling witness to Paulius and Indre’s plans. The script’s structure leaves much to the imagination as clues come slowly. My mind swirled as I watched Paulius walk Indre through the crime’s timeline. You feel compelled to keep watching. As someone whose close friend died under mysterious circumstances years ago, the unresolved pain and trauma are palpable. The need to understand and reason with the devil never fades, no matter how many years go by. PILGRIMS captures the very messy essence of grief.
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