The story is fiction but based on real people and events.
What do the boys want to be for the Lord?
His loyal soldiers.
What do the girls want to be for the Lord?
Bearers of His message.
Who will show us the way?
The Star will guide us!
MARIA'S PARADISE
In 1912, the Angel of Heaven appeared
in the dreams of the teenage Maria Åkerblom.
Maria began to communicate the messages of the Angel,
and news of the sleep preacher began to spread.
A group of devoted followers formed around Maria.
They gave all their possessions to the sect.
Only they, the chosen ones, would be saved.
KOKKOLA, FINLAND 1927
You're following a false prophet!
Shame on you!
Liar!
Murderer!
God will punish you!
How dare you? - Shame on you!
Where's the Promised Land?
It's behind Egypt and Babylonia.
But we'll go to Helsinki first.
Salome!
This is a good place.
Everyone, grab your things, and we'll take a look upstairs.
Me! - No, me!
Older ones get to pick first. You hear me, Rosa-Lie and Rosa-Maj?
If you don't like your bed, you're welcome to sleep outside.
Make the bed, Elsa.
This too.
We walk together, the hill is steep
Zion rises against the sky
If I get lost, can't find my way
The voice of an angel will guide me
I can feel the weight of the cross
But I already see the gate so immense
A beautiful angel waits for me there
She shows me the heavenly halls
The feast is already on the table
I sit down next to Jesus Christ
I feel a great and blissful joy
I have finally arrived at home
We have the Lord, who guides us through the world.
He leads us towards the Kingdom of Heaven,
and the holy road goes through Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem...
There are orange trees and vines there,
and it's always warm.
It is never cold.
Only hard work, strong faith,
and the final reward...
We are being persecuted.
We had to leave.
They don't know that Helsinki is just a place of rest on our journey.
We will walk this path together to the end.
Those that the war took from us await us there.
Those that were taken by sickness and need, by crime and injustice.
All those we have lost.
I have talked with them, and they say "Come!"
I saw them.
They had beautiful clothes, joy and happiness in their eyes.
A little girl, a little boy.
Salome...
Your mother is so proud of you.
All the way to Heaven, she hears how beautifully you sing.
"Come", they say. "Believe in eternal life."
We shall meet them in a place of love and warmth,
with the joys of Paradise and blooming trees!
Jerusalem, Jerusalem.
Salome.
Salome!
Someone screamed. - Hush.
It's all right.
It was just a bad dream.
Look.
It was my mother's.
Maria gave it to me when I turned 14.
It symbolizes the fact that I am blessed. And safe.
Just like you.
We are Maria's children. - Can I be your child?
Not really.
But I'll take care of you anyway.
Salome.
Maria asked for you.
You get to go to the city with her.
With Maria?
You will do what Maria says, nothing more.
You're a stupid country girl. Don't forget it.
Try not to sway your arms so much when you walk.
Let's go.
Well? How do I look? - Like some foreign movie star.
You can have the old one.
Take it.
Try it on.
Thank you.
It suits you.
I heard you were smart.
Good at writing and reading.
From now on, you get to help Eino and me.
If you want.
You can't get the evil out of some people.
But you won't betray me, will you?
Never.
Fish soup.
You need to eat.
We got 900 marks from Haapakoski.
In brackets: sold his horse.
Rönnqvist, 120,000 marks. In brackets: farm and movable property.
That's enough.
Come.
You can brush my hair.
Do you see, Eino?
Look how beautiful Salome has become.
Your mother was beautiful, too.
I didn't get to spend much time with my mother, either.
They gave me to another family. As a maid.
I was only five.
Eino, read us something entertaining.
"Engagement in the air."
"On Whit Sunday evening, a reserve lieutenant called the airport
and ordered a plane for a tour over Stockholm."
"During the flight, he asked for his beloved's hand."
Do you feel like throwing up?
A little.
He was mashed to a pulp.
Did you know him? - I saw him every now and again.
He's in Heaven now.
I doubt it.
Based on what I remember of him.
And probably just for a few, lousy coins.
Where do you live? - In Toivola.
Where's that? - In Meilahti.
I'm Salome.
Malin.
Salome is a weird name. - It's from the Bible.
Maria gave it to me. I used to be called something else.
Maria who? Your mother? - No, but I live with her.
Maria Åkerblom.
Don't you know her? Everybody knows her.
What's she famous for? - She performs miracles.
Speaks with angels.
It's true.
People talk all kind of bullshit about her, but don't listen to them.
We all live together. We're Maria's children.
Jesus freaks.
I've had Salvation Army's soup, too. - You have to go now.
Why? - I shouldn't speak to outsiders.
Why?
Because Satan is everywhere.
What?
So I'm Satan, and I've never even realised it?
I'm in shock right now.
Oh, soon the poor child
could tumble and fall
If the angel wasn't there
to hold his hand
If the angel wasn't there
to hold his hand
Bravo.
They're lovely. - Orphans.
One part of Maria's charity work.
Yes.
They are preparing charges in Kokkola.
Venelius is backed by the vicar and the archbishop.
Because of the incident with the stable boy?
Yes, and then there's also this farmer.
Attempted homicide, they say.
I thought it was already sorted.
Venelius talked him into it. Bribed him, probably.
Salome!
Help!
I saw the beast.
And the angel of the Lord, who was driving a carriage.
He had a sword in his hand, and his hair was on fire.
The beast got crushed under the four wheels.
Anything else?
Venelius...
But we can't...
Thank you, Salome.
Get off the train in Kannus and ride your bikes to Kokkola.
The summer villa is in Morsiussaari.
It says "Venelius" on the gate.
And not a word about this.
You should go to the hospital.
Salome!
Well, you can't come here.
I should have known.
As soon as I saw him, I thought "no ".
But I went anyway.
Who was it? - Some men are like that.
They like to see you get hurt.
If I ever see him again, I'll stab him with a knife.
You should go to the hospital.
If I do that, they'll call the police.
Then they'll put me in the almshouse, which is full of lunatics...
...and bed bugs.
I'll sleep here just for a little while.
Should I cut my hair like this?
But your hair is so pretty.
Eino, don't just sit there like a statue.
Sometimes Eino can be terribly boring.
You don't know this, Salome.
Eino is a true hero.
He saved us from the Reds.
He was there when Vyborg was purged.
Let's pray.
I'm sorry.
I got hungry.
There are children...
Maria Åkerblom and Eino vartiovaara, you are under arrest
for the attempted murder
of prosecutor venelius, his sister, and his helper
in Kokkola, in June 1927.
Take them away.
You need to leave. I shouldn't have let you in.
I've just been lying here. - We can't talk to outsiders!
It's a rule. And now they've taken Maria.
Hey...
She didn't do anything!
Then I'm sure they'll let her out soon.
And they can't even beat her up.
If she's famous and everything.
They're just messing with her.
You have to go.
Who is she?
Answer when you're spoken to.
Salome, you can't keep secrets from God.
Someone beat her up. She just needed a place to sleep.
Liar.
It's true.
How did you find us?
Everyone knows that Maria Åkerblom lives here.
And that she helps the poor and the homeless.
And...
When my head was pressed to the ground, and I thought...
...that I was going to die,
it was like a voice spoke to me:
"Maria Åkerblom will help you."
And then I woke up, and I wasn't dead after all.
Then I came here.
And Salome... helped me.
Just like the voice promised.
She came here to spy. - In that condition?
If you trust Maria
and fear God, we will not turn you away.
Didn't all the saints of the past prefer this kind of modesty?
You got lucky.
Come here. Let's put them here.
Wait.
What are we doing here? - Sit down.
I'll teach you to pray.
I know how to pray.
Just put your hands together, and "Jesus, Lord,
and the Holy Spirit."
I'm just not used to that.
My mother is a freethinker. - A what?
Someone who doesn't believe in God.
But she believes in the progress of mankind.
Elovution.
Well, now you need to learn.
Cross your fingers.
Like this.
Good.
Then close your eyes.
And...
And call for God silently in your mind.
It's like this sudden feeling of warmth.
Then you know you're never alone.
It comes from the outside, yet it's already inside you.
Do you feel it?
Maybe.
Lies and violence have followed Åkerblom since her childhood.
Her father was an atheist,
and her mentally ill aunt suffered from falling sickness.
Åkerblom was given away to serve as a maid when she was five.
Maybe for a reason.
The new family also thought
that she was unruly, ill-bred, and prone to lying.
So is this related to the case at hand?
Maybe not.
As isn't the way Åkerblom's stable boy Sundell was treated.
He was beaten with sticks, belts, and chains
and then forced to sit in a tub filled with salt water.
This went on for several days.
The reason was that Åkerblom thought the stalls were too dirty.
Neither is the case related to the unexplained death
of Vice District Judge Pulkkis, who investigated Åkerblom's activities.
He died due to a mysterious poisoning.
Pulkkis had said it felt like a rat was gnawing at him from inside.
Blood poured out of his ears and eyes.
It turned out Pulkkis had a person among his staff
whose brother is a member of Åkerblom's sect.
Maybe that's a coincidence. - You're lying!
A horrible trail of violence follows Åkerblom everywhere!
It is clear that the members of the sect
are victims of Åkerblom's religious suggestion.
The shooters will receive separate sentences, and they will be severe.
But those in charge must face justice.
The leaders of the movement.
These two people here.
Who place a gun in the hands of their deluded followers.
Who load and aim.
Vartiovaara took you as his adopted daughter?
The angel of the Lord asked him to do so.
A nearly grown-up woman.
Seems rather peculiar.
And then you lived under the same roof.
I have a medical certificate stating I'm Virgo intacta.
Pure and immaculate. - Maria is pure and immaculate.
The certificate is surely as real
as the alleged murder attempt against Åkerblom!
Burn in the fires of hell!
Maria Åkerblom and Eino Vartiovaara are found guilty
of planning and assisting in an attempted murder,
perjury, concealment, and illegal threats of violence.
Ida Maria Åkerblom is sentenced to 1 5 years in prison.
Eino Rafael Vartiovaara is also sentenced
to 1 5 years in prison.
Johannes Alvin Haapakoski, Anders Mikael Slotte,
Kauko Ilmari Hemminki, and Erik Birger Tast
are found guilty of an attempted murder.
They will each be sentenced to 1 2 years in prison.
The sentences are put into effect immediately.
...let them die and burn in the eternal fire of hell...
...take from them everything they have ever loved...
Are you that little girl?
She couldn't come back.
I think she fled to Sweden.
One day I'll go there and find her.
Maybe I'll take this boat.
What are you going to do?
I'll wait for Maria to be released and follow her to the Holy Land.
You might get rather bored.
What are you doing?
You're crazy.
Want to see your future fiancé? - Huh?
It's a pagan spell.
Try it out.
Lean over and look at your reflection.
Then close your eyes and say three times slowly:
"Nixie, nixie, who shall I marry?" - No, I won't.
When you open your eyes,
you will see your future fiancé.
But if you see nothing,
not even your own reflection, then your fiancé is death itself.
You don't have to if you're afraid.
Nixie, nixie, who shall I marry?
We shall lift our gaze towards the Kingdom of Heaven
where a white horse awaits
High up there
sits Jesus Christ, our fearless saviour
What kind of world do we live in
where the purest of us has been locked in prison?
During these hard times, our faith remains unwavering.
We also have a new lamb in our midst.
Her name is Malin, and she is 17 years old.
She is hard-working and has adjusted quickly.
The children are well, as are the dogs.
Your soldiers have remained strong and are waiting for their star.
You don't have to be afraid for your praying flock.
But not all have remained strong in their faith.
Gunvor and Per returned to Teerijärvi with their children,
and the Holms left as well.
We pray for their souls.
Elsa!
We have no news of Eino.
We can only hope we will hear of our brother soon.
It is surely as you suspect:
the authorities keep his letters to themselves.
When the Judgement Day comes, they shall receive their punishment.
I can't believe it!
You got it! - Don't tell the others.
They will start moaning again.
We will wait and prepare ourselves,
knowing you will return and lead us forward.
Towards our destination, towards Jerusalem.
There, blooming trees await us,
and all our trials...
We did hit that stable boy. That was wrong.
The rest is lies.
They will take me to Kokkola for a hearing.
If you could deliver a message for my loved ones.
I'm on a mission from God.
We're not allowed to speak to her.
Why not?
I guess that would only make her crazier.
She is crying!
Is she crying for her mother? I can hear her cry!
She sometimes does that. Don't worry about it.
We pray for her.
One day Maria will cure her.
I need to use the ladies' room.
Or do you want to come and help me?
Remember, be quiet.
Look!
They'll hear us!
God will reward you.
We used to smuggle booze with this.
Now it serves a better cause.
Look how beautiful.
Let me see.
It's almost like my mother's.
Weird.
Do you feel it somehow?
That she's dead?
Do you feel it somewhere?
I don't know.
I don't remember what it was like when she was alive.
I used to think she looked a bit like Maria, but...
I don't really remember her.
After I find my mother...
...I will go somewhere far away.
I already know many languages.
Vill du knulla? Bra och billig.
Komm her, Mädchen. Hab keine Angst.
Djevushka.
Krasavitsa.
I want to see Paris.
And Rome.
Cairo.
Ephesus. - What?
You know, from St. Paul's letters.
If you're really going out into the world...
...it's best if I come with you.
Malin, we have to go. - What?
We have to go, now.
Bring the children down.
It's a miracle of God.
Salome...
Everything's all right.
Everything's all right now.
It's locked because of the children.
It's an infectious disease. We can't take the risk.
Get a doctor to see her, for God's sake.
Maria...
And you know nothing?
What's your name?
I'm Malin. - I remember you.
You've been out on the streets.
You looked a bit different then.
You don't belong here.
You're not a dumb girl. I can tell.
You're not buying all this talk of hell and angels.
I can help you.
Could you please leave our home?
Go and let us sleep.
Right.
We'll pray for you.
Wait for her to speak first.
And don't look her in the eye right away...
My dearest ones...
Why are there children sitting at the adults' table?
There was room as Per, Gunvor, and the Holms...
Let's pray.
Amen.
This is Malin.
Kneel down.
Welcome, dear child.
We have to get Eino out of there.
We don't know where he is. - Find out.
It might prove difficult.
You claim to know what God can do and what He can't?
No.
Is that Boris's puppy? - Yes. It's called voitto.
Is it obedient? - We haven't started training yet...
Start straight away or you'll spoil it.
I know what's going on in here.
You think I don't see it.
But the angel shows me everything. Everything.
Lindgren has become arrogant.
But now you're back, and we can go to the Promised Land.
Come here.
Dogs. They know.
Quiet!
Come on. He won't bite.
Malin. Where does that name come from?
Is it from the Bible?
I don't know.
We have to come up with a new name for you. Right?
But what are you?
I'm Malin.
Quiet.
Quiet!
Be quiet!
Come on, wake up!
Wake up!
Go get Eino.
He's not here.
It's all right.
Don't leave.
People have looked at me like that before.
What are you talking about?
Don't you see what is going on here?
All those things in the court. They couldn't have made it all up.
She's insane. - Why are you saying that?
She's the angel of the Lord.
And she took you in although you're just a street girl.
You're an orphan, just like me.
Your mother was a Red whore. She's not in Sweden, she's dead.
Make sure it doesn't boil over.
Have you ever thought of leaving this place?
They won't let me.
I tried it once, but they found me at the station.
Then they took me to the cellar again.
But I deserved that. I was caught stealing.
The bottle was so pretty, and it smelled so good.
I thought I would never get out.
That they would leave me locked up in there.
And I would end up like Eino's missus.
A fox got into the henhouse. Some are still suffering.
Make sure the dogs aren't roaming in the yard.
No one is to go to the forest back there.
I placed a trap next to the big rock.
Is the woman in that room Eino's wife?
She used to be, a long time ago.
She's Elsa's mother.
Now she's a poor lost wretch in need of our help.
Why don't you try.
It's time you learn how to do this. - Saga...
She's not dead.
You don't know that. - You're right.
I'm sorry.
When we get to Sweden, we'll send a letter to the police.
They'll release the woman and get Elsa.
I'm scared. - They won't catch us.
It's not that.
I'm worried that I don't know how to be out there.
Nobody else knows either.
You will do just fine.
Just don't leave me alone.
I won't.
Salome. Maria wants to see you.
Salome.
Eino...
He's abandoned us. Look at the nasty words he wrote.
It hurts so much.
Sleep next to me tonight. I can't stand being alone.
It's good that you're there.
It's good that God sent you.
Look at me, Salome. Look at me.
Of all my children, you're the dearest one to me.
Always have been.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
You're my mother.
It's all right.
Everything is going to be fine.
God have mercy on us.
Malin.
She can leave if she wants to.
She never did belong here.
Not like you.
Get up.
We're not doing the Lord's work here. Run away.
Run!
I ran after her.
My dear ones.
The young Malin has left us.
She chose a different path.
Let's pray. For Malin as well.
Amen.
It's a shame.
I somehow liked that girl.
There was just something about her.
Salome, there are two sides to everyone.
One side hears the Lord's call...
...but the other is deceitful and vengeful, and hard to beat.
I believe that Malin loved you in her own way.
Her other side was just stronger.
Everything you heard her say were lies.
You need to cleanse your heart of all that.
I can see that in Eino as well.
How he made me do things.
All those witnesses and perjuries.
It was all Eino's idea.
Now I sit here in the dark.
I can't breathe.
Go get me another drink.
When did you meet my mother?
When they brought you here.
She was dead already. She died of the Spanish flu in the spring of '19.
I can't remember everything.
What does it matter? You're here now.
Put on some music.
You can have it.
Don't be afraid.
It's going to be all right.
A message to the police: Åkerblom is in Toivola.
There's a hidden room behind the wardrobe on the landing.
Are you talking to yourself?
Silly.
Sing to me.
Lasse!
Who's there?
Maria!
This way.
Leave us alone!
What do you want?
Help me!
Nobody will ever love you like I do.
During Maria's prison sentence,
two thirds of the devotees left the sect.
After being released, Maria worked as a dog breeder,
living an exuberant life.
During her last years, Maria became an alcoholic,
and eventually died in 1981.
Some devotees remained faithful to her until her death.