Värn

At the height of the Cold War, the life of Swede Karl-Göran Persson changes in an instant after he reads about a potential invasion in a government pamphlet. Convinced that the Russians are at his doorstep, he grabs a hammer and begins obsessively converting his farm into a bunker. Fellow villagers look on with dismay as he spends days working with salvaged scrap metal, steel, and concrete, determined to create a sanctuary for himself and those around him. However, as his nuclear bunker takes shape, his protective instinct begins to morph into an obsession that increasingly resembles madness. Filmed in evocative black-and-white, Värn (Redoubt) breathes new life into a true story, painting an intriguing portrait of an outsider determined to ward off danger at any cost.

Värn is the second feature film by director John Skoog, based on the true story of Karl-Göran Persson, who died in 1975. The film was nominated for the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at the Göteborg Film Festival. Its screening at the Noordelijk Film Festival marks its Frisian premiere.