MovieChat Forums > Mies vailla menneisyyttä (2002) Discussion > Reccomend Finnish films please...

Reccomend Finnish films please...


Can anybody please reccomend a really good Finnish movie(s) for me. Anything that's good, easy to find (like on Netflix) and speaks in Finnish, would be wonderful. I'd really appreciate it, thank you.

reply

You might wanna check out a movie called Kukushka, it has won quite a few prizes and I myself found it to be excellent. It's listed on Netflix, as is Rukajärven tie(Ambush).

Other Finnish movies I consider to be worth watching are Häjyt(Tough ones) and Paha maa, they might harder to get a hold of.

reply

My favorite Finnish movie is definetly Helmiä ja sikoja, Pearls and Pigs. It's the only movie that under 20-year olds Finns like, at least the people I know.
I also enjoyed Keisarikunta, but that was mostly because my own family is from Kotka. Paha maa was also pretty good. Näkymätön Elina, Elina - Som om jag inte fanns, is also worth watching, but there's debate if it's Swedish or Finnish, but both languages are spoken in the film.

reply

Oh wow! Thank you Jusez and Emmet-the-Emmo, both of your reccomendations were very helpful! I will look these movies up right away and try to rent it. Thank you both again! If you'd like to reccommend any more movies, I am all ears. =D

reply

Too bad for you, 'entertainme84'! The Current State of Finnish Film is depressing! Aki Kaurismäki is unfortenately the only director with strong personal touch and an idea what the h€ll film is all about. The other films are pure junk without the desire of expressing something that matters. So I am sorry to say to you and to everybody others that at the moment the Finnish Film Expression is extremely poor. These so-called directors like
Aleksi Mäkelä (Häjyt/though ones,Pahat Pojat/bad boys[?])
Aku Louhimies (Paha maa/frozen land, Levottomat, Kuutamolla
really lack the cinematic talent!
Kaurismäki is the only director whose films are worth watching.

-STH-
Film Student

reply

I do have to agree that especially the directors like Aleksi Mäkelä aren't worth much. Their clear aim is Hollywood.
But there are some resent "comedies" maybe worth watching, if you can get them. They both do have a point to them, although one could argue that they go a little overboard. Firstly Juoksuhaudantie and secondly Nousukausi (Upswing). Juoksuhaudantie has been directed from a very good Finnish book (I think much better than the movie).
Also one very interesting documentary/film about Chechnyan warchildren by Pirjo Honkasalo called Melancholian 3 huonetta (The 3 Rooms of Melancholia) which has won all possible prizes in film festivals and human rights organisations. Someone trashed it on IMDB, but I have to say I disagree!!! But the people there don't speak Finnish though.
Also there are a lot of old interesting films if you're interested in Finnish history. Like Tuntematon Sotilas (The Unknown Soldier) which is about the Finnish-Russian war during WW II, or Täällä pohjantähden alla (Here Under the Northern Star) which is about our civil war in 1918. Both must to see if you're Finnish, otherwise if you're interested in history.
But as someone mentioned before, Rukajärventie is one of the best modern films discussing our war, but another film Koirankynnen leikkaaja (Dognail klipper) which is about the time after the Second War made me cry and laugh and feel! I truely recommend it.

reply

Thank you all for your help, suggestions, views and input! I have already tried to find some of these films on Netflix, Blockbuster and Hollywood Movies but I couldn't find most of the movies. =( However, I will keep looking for those titles and hopefully one day I'll come across it! Thank you all again!! My ears are always open for more suggestions, if you're up for it! =D

reply

Have you seen the film "Il Capitano". If you haven´t you must see it. It´s actually Swedish movie. But the main characters are finnish as it´s based on actual events. Some finnish actors and finnish language also.

You find, in my opinion, one of the best movie performances ever by a finnish actor in this film by Antti Reini.

Also; Sairaan kaunis maailma, Haaveiden Kehä and Levottomat are worth checking.

But I agree with auteur-1, the current state of finnish movie is depressing. The producer Markus Selin and the director Aleksi Mäkelä (or Aku Louhimies, if you wish) are Finland´s own Bruckheimer and Bay! Selin and his Solar Films-company are the cancer of finnish cinema. Levottomat was the only good film Selin succeeded with his obsession to make "Finnish Hollywood". Pahat Pojat is without a doubt one of the worst movies ever made!

The saddest thing is that that movie as a form of art is given so little money in Finland that almost every director has to play it safe to get their movie sold, because production companies only want to make movies that are sure to become box-office hits (get the money bcak + profit).

We´re in need of some more innovative and rebellous moviemakers in the mould of Aki Kaurismäki and Matti Ijäs to save finnish cinema.




"In the grand design, women were definitely drawn from a different set of blueprints." Dale Cooper

reply

Sorry, but Kukushka is not a finnish film, it's russian!

reply

The first film i would recommend would be PAHA MAA (Frozen Land)

The second is NOUSUKAUSI (Upswing). It has a nice story.

I also like HÄJYT (The Tough Ones) very much, but a foreigner might not understand it.

And i also recommend another Kaurismäki film called KAUAS PILVET KARKAAVAT (Far Away the Clouds Escape)

VARES (Vares: Private Eye) has some fun jokes, but the story is nothing special.

All the above movies are made between years 1999-2005.

reply

Well the one and only movie im gonna recommend is "Häjyt" or as in english "The Tough Ones" As mentioned earlier it is one of Aleksi Mäkeläs movies, and the only decent one of them. Everything else in finnish cinema has and probably will be in the future more or less meanless crap. (Ofcourse Aki Kaurismäki being an ecseption)

reply

I found "Kuutamolla" to smart and charming as chick-/self-empowerment-flicks go. I typically watch art house films, so my sensiblities are offended by the shallower fare, yet I enjoyed the film--if it had been a U.S. film, it would have been a million times worse. I purchased it from ebay, where a number of Finnish films can be purchased (though I couldn't speak for the selection, as I am not too familiar with Finnish film). Beyond, Kaurismaki, I also enjoyed The Cookoo (which is actually directed by a Russian filmmaker), available on Netflix. Not too much info, but my 2 cents.

reply

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm definitely keeping track of all these movies and hoping that I can somehow see it. Suuki13 thanks for suggesting ebay as a source for the movies. I completely over looked that option! I'll check it out and see if I can buy it, if I can't rent it anywhere. I checked Netflix and they don't carry "Kuutamolla" so I'll have to check out ebay or other places. Thank you everyone for the great recommendations!!

reply

Hello Entertainme84!

If you actually want to know the best Finnish film according to Aki Kaurismäki himself, it is:

Kahdeksan surmanluotia (Eight Deadly Shots), 1972, directed by Mikko Niskanen

In fact it was a 5-hours b/w TV-serie, but I think that there is also a shorter movie version of that. Really shocking viewpoint to Finnish reality at 1960´s. Based on a true story...

reply

[deleted]

Tuntematon sotilas, The Unkown Soldier (1955, the 1985 version is bad)
Tyttö sinä olet tähti, Girl You Are A Star (2005, best Finnish movie for long time!!!)

reply

Another one that might be worth watching is "Äideista Parhain" ("Den bästa av mödrar" in Swedish). It's farely new and was Finland's nominee for the Oscar nominations, if that's the right way to put it. The film is partially in Swedish but it's written and directed by Finns. I saw it at the movies and I highly recommend it even though it's pretty damn far from a Kaurismäki movie.

In case you are able to download it, watch it and then let me know what you thought of it!

Here's the link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343221/

reply

YES! I just checked Netflix and they have that movie!! But it won't come out for a little while. As soon as I watch I'll be happy to tell you what I thought of it! =D And I also checked out that link and the movie does look great! But I'm having a really hard time finding all the other great movies everyone has recommended.

Thank you ALL for your fantastic and helpful recommendations!! I really appreciate it! I'll try my best to watch all the movies somehow =)

reply

One good Finnish movie is Valkoinen Peura(1952), directed by Erik Blomberg. It has even won a Golden Globe. A very good movie!

But, yes, I have to agree that here in Finland the situation of films is rather bad, especially the ones that Markus Selin has produced are that kind of a genre that I don't prefer.

reply

I also liked "klassikko" (Also Known As:
The Classic (Hong Kong: English title) (festival title))

But It has been a while..

reply

Paha Maa (Frozen Land) is a damn good film. Gives a very good psychological analysis of finnish people and modern-day Finland. All the characters and events are very (sometimes maybe too) realistic.

Almost all the Aki Kaurismäki films, specially if Matti Pellonpää is in them.

Some Mika Kaurismäki Films, like Zombie and the Ghost Train.

Tuhlaajapoika by Veikko Aaltonen is also very good. Esko Salminen is a teriffic actor.

Talvisota (Winter War) is a rather good war movie. The Unknown Soldier is also good, but somehow I think you have to be finnish to really get into it.

That's the problem with most of the finnish films. Like finnish literature they are hard to get into if you don't speak finnish, because finnish language is very, very had to translate to, for example, english. That's why the dialogue in finnish films may feel awkward (Kaurismäki films are of course an exception, since there's so little dialogue).

reply

I agree that Frozen Land is one of the most interesting finnish movies made these past few years. Very depressing movie with some tragi-comical angles. Actually it has been the most awarded finnish movie outside Finland after Man without past.

reply

Hey by the way of the recent Finnish films Tyttö sinä olet tähti (Beauty and the Bastard) was very good.

"I'm not so good with the advice... Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?"

reply

Talvisota is not a rather good war movie. It's one of the best war movies ever made. I'm from sweden and I don't speak a word finnish, but I must say there has been a lot of good movies coming from Finland.

reply

I haven't seen The Match Factory Girl http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098532
But I've heard that it's good.

I did accidentally kill her father when I went to pick her up for the first date. AWKWARD!

reply

[deleted]

Instead of recomending a Finnish film as such, I am going to recommend a Finnish series.

Raid is, in my humble opinion, perhaps the best Finnish drama series ever made. It's a delicious mix of (black) humour, great characters, a bit of romance, tragedy, thrill and, most importantly, a gripping plot. I for one really think that IMBD rating (9.1) of this series is quite justified.

Of course there's also a movie sequel for Raid (the series), but for me it just couldn't reach the level of the series, so I can't whole-heartedly recommend that.

reply

I would only recommend the works of Aki Kaurismäki (anything by him) and a recent film called Populärmusik från Vittulajänkä. Its actually a Swedish film but deals with the national identity of people living right at the finnish border. Its hilarious.
Juoksuhaudantie and Klassikko are not bad either.

reply

My favourite Finnish films are Calamari Union (Kaurismaki again) and Kivenpyorittajan Kyla (no idea if there is a version with English subtitles). Talvisota, Rukajarven Tie and the "new" Tuntematon Sotilas are shocking in their inability to develop the characters and rely solely on decent, if not Hollywood Saving Private Ryan, special effects for the depiction of the futility and horribleness of war.

reply