Two social outcasts in 19th century Eastern Europe, Alexandre and Ulysse, become friends and settle down to live alone on the edge of a marsh that is reputedly haunted by demons, monsters and goblins. These two men have been outcasts all their lives. Alexandre was raised in a nomad family that traveled from town to town, being rejected by the people of his homeland. Due to his physical abnormalities, Ulysse has always been pushed aside ever since his childhood. When a strange murder is committed in a nearby village, the peasants turn their suspicions on Alexandre and Ulysse, because they are different. In the eyes of the villagers, they are demons that must be hunted, burned and killed.
Cinematography
Marsh landscapes that breathe and suffocate simultaneously.
Acting
Hlady and Ahmarani build entire worlds in loaded silences.
Direction
Nguyen wrings tension from fog, whispers, and what you don't see.
Director
Kim Nguyen
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kim Nguyen shot this on a shoestring budget in rural Quebec, using local wetlands to double for Eastern Europe.
The film deliberately leaves the supernatural ambiguous — every 'monster' is ultimately revealed as human cruelty wearing different masks.
CA
