Director: Dustin Rikert
An icy treasure hunt across Iceland ties a broken marriage back together in The Christmas Quest, a 2024 holiday romance directed by Dustin Rikert.
What is The Christmas Quest about?
An archaeologist arrives in Iceland chasing rumors of a legendary hidden treasure, only to discover her ex-husband, a Norse language specialist, has been hired to decode the same clues. Forced to work side by side despite their history, the pair follows a trail of runes, folklore, and half-forgotten local legends through snowbound landscapes just as the holiday season sets in. They aren't the only ones on the hunt: rival searchers with less patience and fewer scruples close in as the clues get harder to interpret, turning the search into a race against time as much as against each other. Along the way, old arguments resurface, old affection does too, and the puzzle they're solving together starts to look a lot like the relationship they never quite finished. The film leans into wintry scenery and seasonal warmth as much as its adventure plot, letting the treasure hunt double as a path back toward reconciliation.
Cast & crew
Lacey Chabert plays the archaeologist with the brisk determination that anchors the search, while Kristoffer Polaha brings dry humor and reluctant charm to her ex-husband, a pairing whose old chemistry resurfaces the moment they're forced back into the same room. Derek Riddell rounds out the cast as one of the competing treasure hunters complicating their path.
Context & significance
Director Dustin Rikert, a veteran of holiday-season romance films, shoots on location in Iceland, using its glaciers, lava fields, and Norse-influenced folklore as more than just scenery — the legend at the center of the plot draws directly on regional history and language. The pairing of adventure plotting with a Christmas backdrop gives the film a slightly different rhythm than a typical small-town holiday romance.
Where & how to watch
The Christmas Quest streams on K-Time with Persian dubbing, so Farsi-speaking viewers can enjoy the treasure hunt and the romance without needing the original English audio. Watching only requires logging into a free K-Time account, on a platform designed around a Farsi-first experience for Persian-speaking viewers wherever they live.