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This project successfully funded on 25th February 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
Reckoning
Egham, United Kingdom
Aim
This is a 10-minute short film exploring the relationship of two sisters in the face of loss, vengeance and death through a Celtic lens.
Reckoning
Premise:
Regin, a grieving sister, seeks out the Norns – Norse mythological beings who can alter human destinies – in the hope of preventing her sister’s death. But what happens when the man responsible for her death is the one aiding her in reaching them?
Synopsis:
Regin and Astrid discuss their late mother’s journal on Norse mythological creatures in the woods when an arrow pierces Astrid’s chest. With her remaining family dead, Regin seeks the creatures she once doubted—clinging to hope that they can bring her sister back.
When her search seems hopeless, Regin discovers her sister’s spirit is willing to aid her in reaching her goal. Is she truly there? Is she merely an illusion? Together, they embark on a quest to find the Norns. Along the way, they reconnect with Kvell—renowned for his cowardice. Unbeknownst to Regin, Astrid’s blood coats Kvell’s hands, and his guilt compels him to seek out the Norns to atone for his mistake.
When they discover the legendary Norns’ World Tree, Regin is devastated to find no one there to alter her sister’s fate. In a moment of clarity, Regin realises Kvell is her sister’s murderer. Anger erupts, leading to a clash driven by grief, fear, and raw fury. Astrid watches as her sister succumbs to sorrow. Despite Regin’s resistance, she must accept that nothing can bring Astrid back—not even revenge.
CHARACTERS:
Regin:
Regin’s character is fuelled by grief; her sister was killed in front of her. Her late mother retold tales of the Norns to her and her sister, Astrid. Regin never believed them, but with her sister gone, she’ll go to any lengths to reverse her fate, even if it means abandoning her previous beliefs and embracing new ones. She’s the vessel through which we explore themes of loss, grief, and the human spirit's desperate desire to reverse the inevitable.
Astrid:
Astrid symbolises innocence and represents the injustice of death; her demise is a result of sheer bad luck. She took her mother’s word as gospel and chose to believe in the more magical aspects of life within Norse mythology. Filled with hope, optimism, and beauty, her character highlights the fragility of life. As the last living member of Regin's family, the quest to reverse her death is central to this short film, with their relationship forming its emotional core.
Kvell:
Kvell’s character is rooted in cowardice. His guilt propels him to help Regin. Unable to come to terms with his own betrayal, he shrouds his intentions in mystery. He represents deceit, remorse, and cowardice. His character is unique in how he manipulates Regin, concealing his true nature behind the pre-established spinelessness he is known for.
Visual Inspirations:
Why does this story matter? Why now?
At its core, 'Reckoning' is a story about grief. Our main character, Regin, loses her sister, her only family member, in a matter of seconds. Her death isn't some grand sacrifice; it is entirely the result of incredible bad luck, which is what makes her loss such a tragedy for Regin.
In today's world, the creation and destruction of life are everyday occurrences; they're normal and familiar. The news is riddled with statistics and horror stories of people, men, women, children and the like, losing their lives in unfortunate accidents, events and tragedies. Life and death have been reduced to numbers in statistics, and as humans we have become desensitised to it all.
'Reckoning' hones in on grief, on the relationship between the sisters, on the guilt, fury, denial and acceptance of the characters and on how they deal with the circumstance they're in.
Follow along with the story if you can relate to any of these emotions, you're in the right place.
Themes:
Grief
We live in an unpredictable world. A world riddled with conflict, tragedy and loss. In the face of such realities, the human instinct is to deny. Deny the realities in front of them and conjure alternatives; ways in which the trauma we undergo is neglected and forgotten in fantasy. 'Reckoning' explores how Regin adapts to the harsh realities of her sister's untimely and sudden death. In this short film, we want to delve deeper into the human experience of grief and how the deaths of those closest to us affect our actions and our sense of identity.
Revenge
In the film's conclusion, Regin discovers Kvell's role in her sister's death. Her immediate reaction is to make him pay. Wanting to repay the debt of a loved one's life is an innate human instinct. In a climactic denouement, Regin gives herself to her festering anger and lust for blood, for Astrid. But does this anger, this act of violence, change Astrid's fate?
Acceptance
Throughout her journey, Regin sees her sister, a ghostly version of her, and believes that Astrid's there to help her reach the Norns. At the story's end, however, she understands that her sister was merely a manifestation of her hope and her wishful thinking. In killing Kvell, nothing changes; Astrid remains dead, she remains buried, and is not coming back. Regin's insistence to cling to her mother and sister's beliefs was her way of clinging onto hope of redeeming Astrid's fate - of turning back time. Losing the people you love is a part of the human experience, and something that is set in stone, and Regin only comprehends this when it's too late.
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Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made