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Published:

Tulen morsian

Based on true events, The Bride of Fire tells the story of a brave and headstrong young woman, Anna, in Åland in the year 1666. Raised by the midwife Valpuri, Anna is being trained to become the village’s next healer. However, she chooses to work as a maid for the new district judge, Psilander. Psilander has been tasked with eradicating pagan practices and black magic from Åland once and for all. Both Valpuri and Anna find themselves in the eye of the storm.

Young Anna is determined to find true love. She sets her sights on Elias, who is already married, but his passion for her fades quickly. Left heartbroken and consumed by jealousy, Anna accuses Elias’s wife, Rakel, of witchcraft. Altogether, 16 women are imprisoned on charges of consorting with the devil, including Rakel, whom Anna has denounced. This marks the beginning of Anna’s solitary struggle to atone for her terrible deed.

Note: No longer available on DVD or Blu-ray.

Published:

Maata meren alla

Land Beneath the Sea tells the story of Ida, who trained as a seamstress and still lives with her adoptive mother, Kati. Ida struggles to find a job with little success, and the last thing this outspoken young woman wants is the help of her proactive activist mother. However, encouraged by her friend Ville, Ida discovers within herself the strength and desire to take a leap—traveling to Berlin—to prove to her mother that she can make it on her own. Ida wants to become independent, fall in love, find her place, and build her life, but in the end, what will she have left to hold onto?

Published:

95

Set during the weekend of Finland’s 1995 Ice Hockey World Championship victory, 95 tells interwoven stories that explore why Finland became world champions and how it impacted the entire nation.

Published:

Love Again

What if a random text message led you to the love of your life? Mira Ray is grieving the tragic loss of her fiancé and, to ease her pain, sends romantic messages to his old phone number, unaware that the number has been reassigned as Rob Burns’ new work number. Rob, a journalist, is captivated by the honesty of these heartfelt texts. When tasked with writing a profile on Céline Dion, Rob enlists the megastar’s help to figure out how to meet Mira… and win her heart.

Published:

Damaged

Damaged is a crime drama and thriller film starring Samuel L. Jackson as Chicago detective Dan Lawson. He is called to Scotland to investigate a brutal string of murders with methods eerily similar to a case he worked on five years earlier. Teaming up with local detective Walter Bravo (Vincent Cassel), Lawson is forced to confront harrowing secrets as the murder cases intertwine with increasingly personal threats.

The film combines intense crime investigation with psychological suspense, set against the dark landscapes of Scotland.

Published:

A Quiet Place: Day One

Sam is a terminally ill poet living in a hospice, suffering from cancer, who has not yet accepted his fate. He is angry, rude, and mean to everyone at the facility. The hospice nurse persuades him to join a group outing to the theater in Manhattan, promising him a trip to Harlem to eat at his favorite pizzeria. Suddenly, explosions start raining down from the sky, and strange beings arrive to spread death and destruction. Insect-like killers mow down most of the city and its inhabitants, and only a small group of residents survive the initial attacks.

Amid the apocalypse, Sam encounters a quiet British student named Eric. Together, they head towards the evacuation point and Sam’s mythical pizzeria. The duo must learn the hard way how the aliens hunt with extreme efficiency, detecting even the slightest rustle or clatter. Sam wants to die on his own terms, fulfilling his final wish without surrendering to the murderous extraterrestrial invaders.

Published:

Inside Out 2

Once again, a major overhaul is underway in the mind headquarters of a teenage girl, Riley, who had previously found emotional balance, to make room for an unexpected surprise: new emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust, who have successfully managed Riley’s mind for a long time, are unsure what to think when Anxiety shows up. And he might not even be the only newcomer!

Published:

Eläville ja kuolleille

The family’s younger son has died in an accident in the yard of their home. Those left behind try to find a way forward amidst their grief. While the mother mourns inconsolably, it falls to the father to take care of the family’s daily routines. The surviving son feels that he has lost not only his little brother but also his parents. The lack of understanding from those around them makes the family’s situation more difficult, and alongside the heavy loss, earlier, unresolved, and unspoken griefs begin to surface.

The film begins the day after the accident and quietly and compassionately follows an ordinary Finnish family’s recovery during the first year of mourning. Gradually, the loss transforms the family’s seemingly unchanged daily life. Themes such as grief and the inability to grieve, the different ways and timing in which men, women, and children mourn, and the surrounding community’s need to forget and carry on “as if nothing had happened” are some of the key elements in this fundamentally hopeful film.

The film is based on a true series of events that took place in 1986 in Pietarsaari, and the screenplay was written in close collaboration with the family who lost their child.

Director:
Kari Paljakka

Starring:
Hannu-Pekka Björkman
Katja Küttner
Johannes Paljakka
Risto Salmi

Hannu-Pekka Björkman won the Jussi Award for Best Actor.

Available on DVD.

Published:

La vie de bohème

Aki Kaurismäki’s adaptation of Henri Murger’s novel Scènes de la vie de bohème, filmed in France and in French, tells the story of three artists – Albanian painter Rodolfo (Matti Pellonpää), writer Marcel Marx (André Wilms), and composer Schaunard (Kari Väänänen) – and their struggles and friendship amidst the complexities of the bohemian artist’s life and poverty. Rodolfo falls in love with Mimi (Evelyne Didi), but is later deported when his residence permit expires. Later, Rodolfo returns illegally and reunites with Mimi, but the often harsh realities of bohemian life continue to challenge their romance. Mimi falls gravely ill, and the three artists do everything they can to raise the money needed for her care. During a visit to Mimi in the hospital, she asks Rodolfo to go outside and pick some flowers. When Rodolfo returns to the room, Mimi has already passed away. Rodolfo informs his waiting friends outside that he wants to be alone and walks away.

Director:
Aki Kaurismäki

Starring:
Matti Pellonpää
André Wilms
Kari Väänänen

The film won the 2007 Jussi Award for Best Direction.

Published:

Laitakaupungin valot

In the modern industrial setting of Ruoholahti, Koistinen (Janne Hyytiäinen), a lonely man working as a night watchman, is relentlessly bullied by his coworkers. He dreams of starting his own business and shares this aspiration with Aila (Maria Heiskanen), who runs a sausage stand by the waterfront. Unbeknownst to Koistinen, Aila harbors deeper feelings for him.

One day, Koistinen meets Mirja (Maria Järvenhelmi), who is secretly working for the criminal boss Lindström (Ilkka Koivula). Mirja pretends to be infatuated with Koistinen, but at the opportune moment, she drugs him and steals his keyring to assist Lindström and his gang in robbing a diamond store. Koistinen refuses to implicate Mirja and is sentenced to two years in prison.

After his release, Koistinen tries to rebuild his life from almost nothing. By chance, he encounters Mirja and Lindström in a restaurant. Seeking revenge for the betrayal, he later attacks Lindström with a knife, but is subdued by the gangster’s henchmen. Lindström spares his life, though Koistinen is beaten nearly to death and left on the shore. Aila hears of his condition and finds him, bloodied and lying on the ground. ‘I won’t die from this,’ Koistinen promises her as their hands meet for the first time. (Text by Lauri Timonen)

Director:
Aki Kaurismäki

Starring:
Janne Hyytiäinen
Maria Järvenhelmi
Maria Heiskanen
Ilkka Koivula

The film won the 2007 Jussi Awards for Best Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Set Design.

Available on DVD (not Blu-ray).