Somewhere between Kaurismäki and Joachim Trier, Finnish Loves explores the fright of poly Love within a couple of quadrennials a little special... A film by Selma Vilhunen to be discovered since May 7th on physical media.
The land of happiness
Every year, the UN unveils the countries where it is good to live, and according to this (doubtful) ranking, Finland would be the country most conducive to happiness. Finnish Loves will not help us convince, because the film of the filmmaker Selma Vilhunen instead sinks in tortuous relationships of couple(s) more conducive to tears than to smiles. But if the feature film is pretty dark, Vilhunen will have fun, a bit like his compatriot Aki Kaurismäki, to distill this and there small comic touches that instill a slightly shifted tone to what could have been a pure melodrama.
The starting point is rather crazy: Matias (Eero Milonoff), a pastor married to Julia (Alma Pöysti, which also played an important role in the great Dead Leaves of Kaurismäki), the trumpet with a younger woman, Enni. But when Julia learns, deception will slowly turn the couple into something new rather than exploding from inside. Julia and Matias will indeed explore the concept of how much current poly Love...
Cinema of kindness
Let's clear the big black dot of the film from the start: its duration. More than two hours for this story of morals involves too many soft stomachs and an over-dramatization of certain issues that are somewhat bleak Finnish Loves and increase in a redundant and indigestible central segment. But past this flaw, this little film about quadrennials discovering poly Love pleases as much as it calls.
Better, the subtle knitting of spiritual issues (Matias is a pastor, bathed in a village and family community rather believing) and generational within the scenario allow to highlight the scaffolding of societal structures built to establish (and impose) monogamy. A few dramatic bursts (clearly from the fat to be amputated in the film) suggest a slip in a moralizing vein and a bit of reacFinnish Loves Always avoid. Better, director Selma Vilhunen manages to build her script (not without suspense or conflict) on relationships based first on desires of kindness. In a script dictat where otherness is almost necessarily violent, this attempt (rather successful and never naughty) has something to rejoice about!
Finland
With Loves Finnish and with The Dead Leaves, 2023 has undoubtedly been a rich cuvée for Finnish cinema. A land of seventh art rather cold and distant appearance, which reveals all its humanity and sweet madness by timid but touching bits. Proposals of cinema in complete lag with the consensus melodramatic offer, built in fragile spaces oscillating between beauty and hope... A film to (re)discover in physical format!
Data sheet
DVD Zone B (France)
Publisher: Blaq Out
Duration: 117 min
Release Date: 07 May 2024
Video format : 576p/25 - 2.35
Soundtrack : Finnish Dolby Digital 5.1 (and 2.0)
Subtitles French
Ah poly Love, sweet Jesus is like the tacos three meats raclette supplement.🤷♂️
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