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It feels like the casting call for all the roles in the latest work from Swedish-born director Mikael Håfström (1408, Slingshot, Escape Plan) was simply “Vaguely European.” Set in 1520, Stockholm Bloodbath is about a brutal political struggle between Sweden and Denmark that led to a bloody and prolonged war, culminating in a notorious massacre that gives the film its title.
Caught in the middle of this warfare are two sisters, Anne (Sophie Cookson) and the mute Freja (Alba August), who seek revenge on the men who brutally and senselessly murdered their family on Anne’s wedding day. Freja even compiles a list of those who must die, but since she doesn’t know their names, they are given descriptors like “Big Danish Guy,” “German Brothers,” and one simply known as “Evil Man.”
While many blame the Danish king, Christian II (Claes Bang), the film expands the guilt to religious leaders like Gustave Trolle (Jakob Oftebro) and overly enthusiastic executioners, such as one named Didrik (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard), who may have at one time been romantically involved with Trolle and now only seeks to stay in his good graces by killing everyone accused of heresy. The film is one of the bloodiest things you’ll see this year, but that’s now what stands out about it. The entire production is in English—not dubbed into English, but spoken in English, thus making some of the cast members (most of whom seem to speak it perfectly) somewhat uncomfortable acting outside of whatever their native tongue may be.
Many of the performances are laughably over the top, accentuated by copious amounts of rain, lightning, and screamed dialogue. I was genuinely intrigued by the story of the two sisters and their quest to seek revenge, but when the film strays from their story, I lost interest in watching head after head getting lopped off realistically, which is normally very much my bag. Stockholm Bloodbath begins with a title card that reads “A great deal of this actually happened,” which immediately makes me doubt the entire affair.
There are anachronistic moments throughout, mostly done to lighten the mood of a film that is best digested as a deadly serious affair. The result is a tonally messy work with a smattering of decent performances, written as if on a deadline and directed with an equally rushed feel.
The film is now playing in theaters and on demand.
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