''Melchior the Apothecary'' ( et, Apteeker Melchior) is a 2022

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

historical mystery The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves t ...

film. It is the first instalment of the Melchior trilogy, based on the novels by Indrek Hargla. The film focuses on

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...

Melchior Wakenstede Indrek Hargla (real name Indrek Sootak; also used pseudonyms Andrei Golikov and Marat Faizijev; born on 12 July 1970 in Tallinn) is an Estonian writer. He is one of the most prominent Estonian writers of science fiction and crime novels. His most ...

, who solves crimes in medieval

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

. The film is directed by

Elmo Nüganen Elmo Nüganen (born on date 15 February 1962 in Jõhvi) is an Estonian theatre director, film director, and actor. He has been the artistic Director of the Tallinn City Theatre since 1992. He was a graduate of the Estonian Academy of Music a ...

Background

The film was set to premiere in October 2021, but was delayed to April 2022 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The second part of the trilogy is scheduled to be released in August, and the third in October, making it the first time in Estonia film history where an entire trilogy will premiere within a single calendar year. Filming locations in Tallinn included St. Catherine's Monastery, Danish King's Garden, Town Hall Square and Pikk Jalg street. Some scenes were also filmed in

Kuressaare Castle Kuressaare Castle ( et, Kuressaare linnus; german: Schloss Arensburg), also Kuressaare Episcopal Castle, ( et, Kuressaare piiskopilinnus), is a castle in Kuressaare on Saaremaa island, in western Estonia. History The earliest written record men ...

. The film is one of the most successful in Estonian cinema history with cinema admissions of 125,500 by 31 August 2022. It is one of only 11 Estonian films to receive over 100,000 cinema admissions since Estonia restored independence. The film received a limited release in

Vantaa Vantaa (; sv, Vanda, ) is a city and Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. It is part of the inner core of the Greater Helsinki, Finnish Capital Region along with Helsinki, Espoo, and Kauniainen. With a population of (), Vantaa i ...

, Finland, with producer Veiko Esken citing the response as positive and planning to screen the sequels in Vantaa, as well.“Apteeker Melchior. Viirastus” jõudis Soome
Geenius, 18.08.2022

Cast

*Märten Metsaviir as

Alo Kõrve Alo Kõrve (born 2 December 1978) is an Estonian stage, film, and television actor. Early life and education Alo Kõrve was born in Jõgeva, Jõgeva County to Are Kõrve and his wife (''née'' Simson). He is the youngest of two siblings; his old ...

as Wentzel Dorn * Maarja Johanna Mägi as Keterlyn Kordt *Siim Kelner as Clingenstain *Ken Rüütel as Hinric the Monk *

Marko Matvere Marko Matvere (born 4 February 1968) is an Estonian actor and singer. He was the lead actor of the Tallinn City Theatre, but left to become a freelance actor in 2004. Biography Matvere was born in Pärnu and graduated from the Tallinn Conservat ...

as Spanheim *Martin Kork as Martin *

Mait Malmsten Mait Malmsten (born 6 September 1972 in Viljandi) is an Estonian actor. Malmsten comes from a family of actors. His father is actor Rein Malmsten. His paternal grandparents were actors Franz Malmsten and Eva Meil. His great-uncle was actor Hugo ...

as Rode *

Kristjan Sarv Kristjan Sarv (born Tartu, 21 December 1979) is an Estonian actor. He studied acting at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (2000-2004). From 2005–2008, he worked in the theatre NO99. He has appeared in several television series and feat ...

as Rinus *

Andero Ermel Andero Ermel (born 6 August 1976) is an Estonian stage, film, television, and voice actor. Early life and education Andero Ermel was born in Tartu. His father was Meelis Ermel and his mother's maiden name was Uibopuu. He has two siblings. He at ...

as Freisinck *Franz Malmsten as Kilian *Henessi Schmidt as Hedwig *

Hendrik Toompere Jr. Hendrik Toompere Jr. (born 5 June 1965) is an Estonian actor and director. Toompere was born in Tallinn to actor and director Hendrik Toompere Sr. and actress Maie Toompere (''née'' Kruusenberg). His sister is actress Harriet Toompere and his so ...

as Casendrope *Jaan Pehk as Ditmar *Gatis Gaga as Ludeke *Liis Maria Kaabel as Valge Akrobaat *Loora-Eliise Kaarelson as Girl at Courtroom *Amanda Hermiine Künnapas as Servant Girl

References

External links

* {{Elmo Nüganen 2022 films Estonian drama films Films directed by Elmo Nüganen Historical mystery films 2022 drama films 2020s mystery drama films Films set in Tallinn Films shot in Estonia