Intrigo: Death of an Author (2018)

In the turbulent waters off the Dutch coast, a small open boat battles the waves, steered by a solitary man. Days later, the boat's wreckage will be found, but for now, the story shifts to the serene streets of Stockholm. Here, David, a seasoned translator, is approached by his publisher with a unique opportunity. A manuscript by the renowned author, Germund Rein, has mysteriously appeared at their publishing house. David, having translated Rein's earlier works, is given the first choice to translate this one, despite its arrival under peculiar circumstances. This manuscript, unpublished in its native language, has journeyed to Sweden shrouded in intrigue. Accompanying the manuscript is a letter, a seeming testament from the late author who tragically took his life by surrendering to the chilling embrace of the Atlantic. The letter, presumably his last words, sternly forbids the printing of the book in its original language. Propelled by curiosity and a flicker of fear, the assignment takes David to Amsterdam. As he delves into Rein's novel, David uncovers unsettling parallels to his own life and the dark mystery of his wife Ewa's disappearance. Ewa, who according to police reports, likely perished in the icy clutches of Graues in the Austrian Alps years ago. But as David soon realizes, nothing is as it first appears. Meanwhile, an outer narrative unfolds. Translator Henry Martens seeks the counsel of reclusive author Alex Henderson, in his secluded seaside home on a distant Greek island. Henry's manuscript, remarkably similar to one of Henderson's published works, tells the story of the crumbling marriage of David and Eva Schwarz. As Martens shares the story, Henderson finds himself entranced, becoming as entwined in the tale's outcome as Martens himself, if not more so. As the past relentlessly stalks the present, a cocktail of guilt and revenge stirs, blurring the line between Germund Rein's fiction and David's reality. Confronted with the uncomfortable truth, David is forced to grapple with the possibility that perhaps he didn't entirely lose Ewa that fateful day in Graues after all. In this tantalizing narrative, reality mirrors fiction, secrets unravel, and the haunting echo of the past reverberates, compelling viewers to question everything they thought they knew.

Intrigo: Death of an Author is a crime movie featuring Benno Fürmann and directed by Daniel Alfredson.

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