No Rest for the Wicked: Even in Death
By Karen Reyes
What is there to dislike about a 19th century gothic horror vampire romance? The answer is almost nothing. No Rest for the Wicked screened at the 62nd Chicago International Film Festival and simultaneously ticked and subverted all the usual boxes. It follows Faroe Island resident Baldur (Egor Venned) as he falls for Danish whaler Helge (Pilou Asbæk) in a small village in 1862. As their relationship progresses and becomes more intimate, tragedy and violence strike, pushing the villagers to ostracize Balder and Helge and the pair to fight for their love. Full of tense gazes, loaded conversations, and erotic nights together, the film portrays a tender love that stands the test of time.
Doomed, gay vampire romance is by no means a new concept, but Director Kasper Kalle’s take on vampires refreshed the genre with a layer of the paranormal and body horror. Rather than the usual bite and change, the dead seem to “possess” the living with a disturbing visual: The soul or spirit of the dead snakes its way into the bodies of the living, stretching and forcing its way just beneath the skin of the townspeople. These vampires fulfilled their allegorical purpose—a heartbreaking yearning from Baldur and Helge to be together, even in death.
Venned and Asbæk gave quiet yet emotional performances as they communicated via subtle body language and meaningful eye contact that said everything the dialogue didn’t. Set in the isolated Faroe Islands, the beautiful cliffs and ocean backdrops only added to the feeling that we were dropped into Baldur and Helge’s own world. Aside from the lack of lighting in dark scenes that made it hard to see anything on the screen, the story itself and the interpretation of vampirism was beautiful. From the warm hues of the bed they shared to the harsh and muted tones of the village outside to the cool blue otherworldly colors of their playful underwater moment, the film pulls the audience into the pair’s relationship and keeps us there as witnesses to their tender love.
There’s nothing quite so romantic as finding love against all odds while living in isolation in the 1800s. Add to that the ability to get around death and spend eternity together, and you have every gothic horror romance fan’s attention. Kasper Kalle hit the nail—or the wooden stake—on the head, capturing a timeless and tragic love story perfect for the hopeless romantics.