''Melchior the Apothecary'' () is a 2022

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

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 th ...

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

Märten Metsaviir Märten Metsaviir (born 15 March 1994) is an Estonian actor who came to prominence in 2022 for his starring role as Melchior Wakenstede in the "Melchior" film trilogy based on the series of medieval mystery crime novels by author Indrek Hargla. ...

as the

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is an Early Modern English, archaic English term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms ''pharmacist'' and, in Brit ...

Melchior Wakenstede, who solves crimes in medieval

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

. 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 and ...

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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The second part of the trilogy ''Melchior the Apothecary: The Ghost'', was issued in August 2022, and the third ''Melchior the Apothecary: The Executioner’s Daughter'' followed in October. It is the first time in Estonia film history where an entire trilogy were premiered within a single calendar year. Filming locations in Tallinn included

St. Catherine's Monastery Saint Catherine's Monastery ( , ), officially the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Catherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai, is a Christian monastery located in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. Located at the foot of Mount Sinai, ...

, Danish King's Garden, Town Hall Square and Pikk Jalg street. Some scenes were also filmed in

Kuressaare Castle Kuressaare Castle (; ), also Kuressaare Episcopal Castle (), is a castle in Kuressaare on Saaremaa, Saaremaa island, in western Estonia. History The earliest written record mentioning Kuressaare castle is from the 1380s, when the Teutonic Order ...

. 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 (; , ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the north of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population of Vantaa is approximately . It is the most populous municipality in Finland. Vantaa is part of the Helsinki Metropoli ...

, 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

as Melchior Wakestende *

Maarja Johanna Mägi Maarja Johanna Mägi (born 24 March 1997) is an Estonia, Estonian stage and film actress. Maarja Johanna Mägi was born in Tartu. She graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn in 2020. She has been an actress at the V ...

as Keterlyn Wakenstede (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Kordt) *

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 *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 M ...

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 to 2008, he worked in the theatre NO99. He has appeared in several television series and f ...

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 att ...

as Freisinck *Franz Malmsten as Kilian *Henessi Schmidt as Hedwig * Hendrik Toompere Jr. 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