Christian Hughes

Visiting… Sweden. It was supposed to be a fun guys’ trip involving beautiful Swedish women. Reluctantly, Christian has brought his girlfriend Dani with him because he felt guilty about her recent tragedy. Dani’s sister, who was bipolar, killed her parents with carbon monoxide and committed suicide after the murders, leaving Dani all alone. Christian invited Dani to Sweden, thinking that she wouldn’t accept. But she surprised him by saying she wanted to come along.

Profession… graduate student in anthropology. Christian and his friends are all working on their graduate theses in anthropology. One of his friends is writing his thesis on the commune of Hårga, a community in rural Sweden that has a unique festival every 90 years. Christian and his friends are all invited to the midsummer festival so they can do research and gain first-person experience with the culture for their studies. Christian should be focusing on his thesis, but he is lacking motivation and is unsure of where he should start. His friends blame his distraction on Dani; they do not support the relationship at all. They think Christian would be better off and more successful in his academic career if he would just break up with her.

Interests… recreational drugs. Christian and his friends tried psychedelic mushrooms, which turned their trip into an even stranger trip.

Relationship Status… in a complicated relationship with Dani for four years. They continue to try to make it work despite everyone around them discouraging it. Christian is ready for the relationship to end, but because Dani has experienced recent trauma, he would feel guilty if he broke up with her when she needs him most.

Challenge… participating in the bizarre rituals involved in the Swedish festival they’re attending. Christian wasn’t sure about what to expect, and he and his friends may be in over their heads. It turns out they are involved with a scary cult that follows traditions that include sacrificing its members. After seeing something shocking, Christian tries to rationalize what he sees: “I’m trying to keep an open mind. It’s cultural, you know? I think we really need to just try to acclimate.”

Personality… detached and self-involved. Christian’s personality comes out in the six months following the death of his girlfriend’s family. He is always there for her physically, but not emotionally. It’s also not clear that Christian has the strength to deal with everything they’re facing in Sweden.