The Murder of Henri the Elder
This modern retelling of the Finnish classic, The Murder Ballad of Bishop Henri, tells the story of a young Kerttu whose life in Provo goes unexpectedly as she encounters the religion-entrenched culture. The original ballad recounts the tale of Bishop Henri’s visit to Finland to christianize the pagans. Along the way he visits the home of Lalli whose wife Kerttu is home alone. He takes food and resources from them and leaves, throwing money behind him. Kerttu later tells Lalli that the bishop stole from them. Enraged, Lalli goes out and kills the bishop.
Some helpful information and definitions
Definitions
Ministering Brother/Palvelutyö Veli
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Lord Jesus Christ has established through living prophets a system that helps make sure everyone is taken care of and noticed. Each member is assigned a companion with whom they “minister” to several others. They are to be there as a friend for those people to whom they minister and assist them in times of need. This system of ministering help members to be good neighbors and develop Christlike love for one another in addition to fostering the culture of Christ.
In the film, Henri is called to be a ministering brother to Kerttu and does a terrible job. Instead of getting to know her and being a friend, he just steals her crackers.
Elder / Vanhin
An elder in the Church of Jesus Christ is anyone who is called to the priesthood office of elder. This is typically most men in the church ages 18+. It is not a position of authority over others as it might be considered in other religions and groups. The normal man in the church is often an elder. Full-time male missionaries are addressed as Elder + their last name because they are set apart by the authority of God to preach the gospel. When they are released from full-time missionary work, they are no longer addressed by the title of Elder, but they still hold the office of elder in the priesthood.
In the film, Henri is not called Elder because he is not a missionary. Yet he still holds the office of elder in the priesthood.
Provo, Utah
Provo is a city which holds the flagship university of the church, Brigham Young University. It is here that the video was filmed. Around 90% of the population of Provo are members of the church, making it a unique center of church culture in the world.
Important Characters
Kerttu
In the video, Kerttu is the boyfriend of Lalli and the voice of reason. She volunteers regularly to help dogs in Provo and is not a member of the church. In the original ballad, she is the nagging wife of Lalli and is responsible for setting Lalli off on the bishop. She and Lalli are also not Christian in the original ballad.
Lalli
Lalli is the murderer in both the film and the original ballad. In real life, he has become a symbol of Finnish-ness and Finnish resistance to foreign influence.
Henri
In the film, Henri is called to be a ministering brother to Kerttu, who is not a member of the church. In the ballad, his brother is King Eric of Sweden and he is the Bishop Henri. He is sent to Finland to convert them to Christianity. Unfortunately, he ends up getting killed there.