Estonian body horror is directed by Oskar Lehemaa, behind Sundance wibber 'Bad Hair,' and produced by Stellar Film
Estonian director Oskar Lehemaa is ready to give “Birth” to his first English-language body horror.
Presented at Frontières Co-Production Market, it follows a couple that, after years of failed attempts to conceive, decides to attend a secluded fertility retreat deep in the woods – as a last resort before IVF. But as the retreat’s ancient folk rituals take a sinister turn, Carl and Emma’s discover they have become part of a sacrificial rite.
“The setting for ‘Birth’ came about very organically. It simply made sense to tell a story about pregnancy in an environment literally teeming with life: the Estonian forest,” Lehemaa told Variety.
“If you lie on the forest floor in Estonia in spring, you can practically feel life pulsating through the ground and in every fresh leaf and branch. Nature also opens the door to folk horror, a subgenre particularly well suited to be-careful-what-you-wish-for stories about relationships, family, and ancestry.”
The film is produced by Stellar Film, run by Evelin Penttilä and Johanna Maria Tamm, with Tallifornia Film Fund recently coming on board, too.
Lehemaa, also behind Sundance selected short “Bad Hair” and stop-motion comedy “The Old Man Movie,” isn’t afraid of extreme imagery. “Birth” will mark his first collab with Estonian cinematographer Elen Lotman.
“I’ve never shot this extensively in nature before, so that’s something I’m especially excited about. Together, we’re looking for a balance between the tightly composed frames that have defined my work so far and a more free-flowing camera style,” he noted.
In “Birth,” he’ll also play with gender roles.
“I sincerely believe pregnancy and childbirth are nature’s greatest miracles. At the same time, they’re also profoundly grotesque and terrifying. ‘Birth’ explores both sides of that paradox… Perhaps one a little more than the other.”
He added: “Parenthood is also shaped by deeply ingrained gender expectations, and I’m interested in gently poking at those assumptions and questioning the roles we take for granted.”
While he’s drawing on Estonian folklore for inspiration, he said, the goal is to create a “mysterious new cult that’s unique to our story.”
“Seeing the story from an outsider’s perspective heightens the mystery surrounding the enigmatic Estonian cult at its center,” he said.
“I’m already looking forward to creating some messed-up scenes that will permanently sear themselves into audiences’ brains.”
As Stellar Film is already ” in active dialogue with producers in Scandinavia and Ireland,” according to Evelin Penttilä, the aim is to position ‘Birth’ as a “high-visibility European genre film, capable of traveling from leading festivals to global distribution.”
“With Oskar’s uncompromising artistic vision and our shared commitment to delivering elevated genre cinema, we are confident that this project will leave a lasting impression on audiences worldwide.”