A Prayer for the Dying

A sheriff faces a deadly threat that forces him to choose between his own family and protecting the community.

The story is set in the town of Friendship, Wisconsin, in the late 1800s. Jacob Hansen is a hero of the American Civil War. Seeking to atone for his violent past, he takes on the roles of sheriff, undertaker, and pastor in the town, while also trying to care for his own family. When an epidemic – one the village doctor is unable to handle – comes to the town, Jacob is put to the test.

A PRAYER FOR THE DYING is a visually striking and ambitious debut feature, starring John C. Reilly, Kristine Kujath Thorp, and Johnny Flynn. Despite its setting, this is a Norwegian production from Eye Eye Pictures, one of the companies behind AFFEKSJONSVERDI. The film had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival.

USA: What the F**k is this Place?

The American Dream has long been built on four tenacious ideals: success, freedom, belonging and individuality. These four films examine what happens when those ideals collide with reality – and meet their opposites: tragedy, oppression, helplessness and erasure.

Podcast host and screenwriter Gjermund Eriksen introduces four films that cast a critical eye on the American Dream, in the USA strand "What the F**k is this Place".