"The first film was an introduction to Melchior and the medieval world — now let's take it a step further," director Elmo Nüganen said according to a press release.

"We will see the hidden side of a medieval man and life back then," he continues. "A ghost is appearing in a Tallinn courtyard — but what is behind this ghost? This unusual case forces Melchior to investigate the depths of the human soul, which is full of mystery, psychological contradictions as well as curiosity, secret hatred, and secret love."

According to the director, all parts of the trilogy have been produced as standalone feature films.

"Each film has an exciting new story," he said. "In the second movie, on top of his work as an apothecary, Melchior has to devote more and more time as an assistant advocatus to solving a wave of murders that has hit the city. Viewers can also follow what direction Melchior's relationship with the mysterious Keterlyn develops in as well."

A ghost appears

In the second installment of the medieval crime thriller trilogy, a night watchman is startled by a terrible ghost — the tragically drowned daughter of a rich merchant. By morning, the watchman has fallen to his death from a high tower, and several more people have lost their lives in suspicious accidents as well.

During the investigation of these events, Melchior's paths cross with those of a prostitute and a priest, a foreign artist and a mad heretic. Clues lead him to Pirita Convent, the gloomy vaults of which hide a dangerous secret buried in oblivion.

Melchior is likewise troubled by the mysterious origin of his former student, Keterlyn, which seems to have something to do with what is going on...

Director: Elmo Nüganen
Starring: Märten Metsaviir, Maarja Johanna Mägi, Alo Kõrve, Raivo Trass, Carmen Mikiver, Rain Simmul, Riina Maidre, Mait Malmsten
Producers: Taska Film, Nafta Films, Apollo Film Productions, HansaFilm
Co-producers: Maze Pictures (Germany), Film Angels Productions (Latvia), InScript (Lithuania)
Sponsors: Estonian Film Institute (EFI), Ministry of Culture, Viru Film Fund, the Film Fund of Saare County, Tartu Film Fund, National Film Center of Latvia, Riga Film Fund, Lithuanian Tax Incentive, Creative Europe MEDIA, Kanal2 and Apollo TV

Full trilogy released within year

The first installment in the "Melchior" series premiered on April 15, and has since drawn nearly 125,000 to movie theaters in Estonia alone.

Since regaining independence in August 1991, just 11 Estonian feature films have ever cracked 100,000 at the box office, including "Truth and Justice," "Names in Marble," "The Little Comrade," "Class Reunion" and now "Melchior the Apothecary" as well.

For the first time in Estonian movie history, an entire trilogy of films will also premiere within a single calendar year, with the third and final movie, "Melchior the Apothecary: The Executioner's Daughter" slated to hit theaters on October 14.

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