The film follows a scientist couple Paul and Sarah as they battle to help their son, Theo, who suffers from a rare language disorder. When Paul develops an experimental drug that improves communication, his obsession to see Theo speak threatens to destroy his family.
The sci-fi drama stars Canadian actor Mark O’Brien alongside Dutch actress Anneke Sluiters, further roles being played by Belgian actress Lucie Debay, as well as Estonian newcomer Leonhard Kõuhkna.
“At its heart, Soma is a story about parental love, the desire to fix what cannot be fixed, and the dangerous boundary between helping someone and trying to control their fate. As an Estonian coproducer, we see the film as a compelling combination of intimate family drama and unsettling science fiction story that can connect with audiences across different cultures while remaining distinctive and thought-provoking,” Estonian producer Elina Litvinova told FNE.
The project is produced by Velvet Films (Belgium) in coproduction with Goodbye Productions (Canada), Three Brothers (Estonia) and Volya Films (the Netherlands), with the support of the Film Center of the Wallonia Brussels Federation, Telefilm Canada, the Netherlands Film Fund, and Film Estonia, among others.
Producers are Sebastian Schelenz, Amber Ripley, Elina Litvinova and Denis Vaslin.
The total budget is 2.8 m EUR.
The project, which was presented at the When East Meet West coproduction forum in January 2025, has just wrapped principal photography in Estonia, where shooting took place in Käsmu, Laulasmaa and Tallinn. It will now have its final shooting days in Amsterdam.
The film is scheduled to be completed in May 2027.
Game Theory is handling Canadian distribution. Belgian broadcasters RTBF, Be tv and Proximus are on board as well.
Production Information:
Producer:
Velvet Films (Belgium)
Coproducers:
Goodbye Productions (Canada)
Three Brothers (Estonia)
Volya Films (the Netherlands)
Credits:
Director: Miklós Keleti
Screenwriters: Jon Goldman, Miklós Keleti
DoP: Virginie Surdej
Production designer: Tiiu-Ann Pello
Editor: Yannick Leroy
Cast: Mark O’Brien, Anneke Sluiters, Lucie Debay, Leonhard Kõuhkna
