Director and scriptwriter: Dara Van Dusen

Based on the book “A prayer for the dying” by Stewart O’Nan

Producer: Dyveke Bjørkly Graver

Co-producers: Proton Cinema (HU) & Umedia (BE)

Sales agent: New Europe Film Sales & Anton Corp.

Genre: Psychological thriller / horror

1870. Friendship, Wisconsin endures the draught of a dry, hot summer. Crops thirst. Cows twitch and flick. At the center of this small town is Jacob Hansen. Jacob’s a Civil War hero unable to let his accomplishments overshadow the violence and darkness of his soldier past. With a need to atone for the wrongdoings he’s commit-ted, Jacob takes on the responsibility of not only providing for his young family, but also of being the sheriff, undertaker and pastor for Friendship. As a result, he considers Friendship his own – a claim that comes to haunt him when an epidemic hits.

On his daily morning ride into town, Jacob comes across a woman thrashing around in the curled crops of a dying corn field. She’s hysterical, coughing up foam and blood. Jacob hastily brings her to the town doctor, Doc Gutterson, who is immediately alarmed. He mentions the possibility of diphtheria.

Diphtheria’s violent. It’s ugly. It causes the skin to pale and turn blue. There’s a bloody, hacking cough. People become hysterical. Delusional. Concerned, Jacob tells his wife, Marta. She wants to take their newborn daughter and leave, but Jacob can’t. He has responsibilities.

Marta decides to stay. The following day, Doc and Jacob’s fears are confirmed as the sick woman dies. Aiming to prevent hysteria and the subsequent spread of the disease, Doc and Jacob decide to keep the outbreak a secret. Maybe it was an isolated incident. Maybe they’re lucky.

As time goes by, more and more signs of the disease are seen. The diphtheria is relentless. It spreads in the dust and heat. It kills. As the inhabitants gradually begin to understand the direness of the situation, Jacob struggles to keep the town under control. And it’s just a matter of time before the disease spreads to his own home, to Martha and the baby. Every decision becomes a choice between lesser evils and Jacob is soon again haunted by his war-ridden past. It becomes unclear how much longer Jacob can continue his role as the town’s unrelenting protector, while still being able to forgive himself in the end.

A Prayer for the Dying is a devastating account of the choices we are faced with when chaos strikes and the notions of everything we hold dear, such as faith, family and community, are shaken to their core.

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