Danish Director Invents New Languages for Stone Age Epic ‘Stranger’: The Ultimate Challenge

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Danish director Mads Hedegaard had to invent new languages for the Stone Age epic “Stranger.”

He shared that since his experience lies in documentaries such as ‘Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest’, it was crucial to make the film feel authentic for the viewers. In his words: “We wouldn’t accept it if the actors spoke Danish or English, so we decided…” He expressed this before the movie’s world premiere at Sweden’s Goteborg festival, where it was selected as the closing film.

I knew an individual with a PhD in ancient Proto-Indo-European languages, though those are about 2,000 years older than the ones in our narrative. We posed the question to him: ‘Could you create new ones?’ Tobias [Søborg] combined an old Siberian tribal language with ancient Mayan, and then repeated the process using dialects from the Turkey region. We provided a dictionary and a set of grammatical rules for them. It was quite challenging for the actors; they had to memorize much more than just their lines, as he recalled.

Later on, Tobias joined us on set too, assisting with pronunciations. I believe that aspect may have been the most challenging when putting everything together, but we faced it side by side. Watching it all eventually materialize was incredibly awe-inspiring.

The tale unfolds with characters such as Angela Bundalovic, Danica Curcic, Benjamin Ahnstrøm Sharifzadeh, Mari Kiss, and Sandor Funtek at its core, taking place approximately 4,000 BC. Within the narrative, a young girl named Aathi and her family embark on an expedition to discover southern Scandinavia – they are pioneering farmers in this region. However, their peaceful exploration is interrupted by an invasion from a nomadic hunting tribe, forcing Aathi to integrate with them for survival purposes.

In our minds, the Stone Age often conjures images of warriors. Yet, her narrative is distinctly more human; it’s not solely about battles or wars. Instead, it encompasses aspects of society and the transmission of knowledge and culture.

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Hedegaard and his colleagues started discussing Mel Gibson’s films, “Apocalypto” and “The Revenant.” However, it became clear to them that they were treading unfamiliar territory – much like the characters in these movies.

Few movies are based on the Stone Age setting. So, we had to create everything from scratch. This required extensive research. We consulted with prehistoric specialists about even the tiniest details: ‘What did their tools and clothing resemble? How were their shelters constructed?’

Despite his pursuit of genuine depictions, the world he portrays, marked by rampant fires and folks who fear “outsiders,” change, and development, bears an unexpected and regrettable resemblance to our own.

He suggested that people during the Stone Age are often thought to have lived in caves and carried around clubs, with a simplistic view of them as being ‘animalistic.’ However, they had complex emotions such as jealousy and hatred, much like us today, and were just as advanced in their thinking. Some believe Egypt or Ancient Greece were the birthplaces of civilization; he argued that it was actually during this time period, where the foundations of concepts like ownership and land rights, which form the basis of our modern society, were first established.

In essence, one might contend that climate change originated from deforestation, as people expanded their farmlands by clearing forests for burning. This cycle repeats itself. The story dates back, yet essentially remains unchanged. Regrettably, it seems we haven’t grown much wiser.

As a director, Hedegaard has never been on a “real” set before, he joked.   

Originally hailing from a documentary, you find yourself unexpectedly within the heart of a Hungarian woodland, leading a team of 100 individuals. Admittedly, it wasn’t easy, but what a thrill to be pioneering novel experiences!

Still, despite the scale, the story always comes first.   

I’m passionate about creating worlds. I’d gladly dive back into that process, yet it’s the story that ultimately matters most. For me, ‘Stranger’ is essentially a tale of encounters between individuals – interactions that can be rooted in respect or bias. I may not claim to have all the answers, but I hope this movie encourages us to ponder these issues.

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2025-02-02 13:47