Maria ’s Paradise (2019)

This is an intense story of love, its dangers and its power. In 1920’s Northern Finland, a Christian sect, led by the angelic and charismatic Maria Åkerblom, is being chased out of town by an angry mob, accused of being a false prophet. They settle at a large estate in Helsinki where at night, the believers gather around Maria as she falls into a trance and delivers the words of the angels. Among the most fervent believers is Salome, an orphan who is Maria`s new personal servant. Salome is happy to bask in Maria’s divine light, and Maria also sees something special in the girl. After dispatching her followers to attack her perceived enemies, Maria is soon captured and sentenced to prison for her crimes. Meanwhile, the tough street girl Malin joins the sect and forms a tight bond with Salome as she challenges her beliefs. After a daring escape, the ever more paranoid and dangerous Maria rejoins her followers, and Salome is now torn between the new freedom and friendship she has found with Malin, and Maria’s violent, all-consuming love.