The Watchmaker

Stockholm, February 1968. A petty theft spirals when Sebbe and Adam accidentally destroy the pocket watch meant for an unknown client. Desperate, they turn to watchmaker Karl for an urgent repair, but their anxiety soon shifts to a darker fear. Confined to Karl’s cramped workshop, distrust and rising paranoia transform their predicament into a claustrophobic psychological chamber play. As midnight nears, buried truths and old revenge surface.

The Watchmaker is a taut drama about morality, loyalty, and survival in a time when right and wrong blur. Inspired by the aesthetics of the 1960s, this tightly wound thriller explores what people will do at the breaking point. Marking Jonas Lawes’ feature debut, which celebrates its world premiere at Tromsø International Film Festival, the film masterfully builds tension in a locked, high-stakes setting conveying the escalating fear of the inevitable as every second counts.