A father-and-son road trip morphs into a musical journey examining the fraught history of Finnish immigration in Sweden in the modest but touching docu "Finnish Blood, Swedish Heart."
With: Kai Latvalehto, Tauno Latvalehto, Oiva Latvalehto.
(Finnish, Swedish dialogue)
A father-and-son road trip morphs into a musical journey examining the fraught history of Finnish immigration in Sweden in the modest but touching docu “Finnish Blood, SwedishHeart.” The best film yet from helmer Mika Ronkainen (“Screaming Men,” “Freetime Machos”), the pic uses vintage songs to delve into distressing memories shared by many Swedish Finns, involving shame, guilt, crime and alcoholism. With its playful form and emotional content, this deserving winner of Gothenburg’s Nordic docu prize should appeal to the international auds that enjoyed Finnish sauna pic “Steam of Life.”
Fortyish musician Kai Latvalehto, founder of the now-defunct band Aknestik, has an adorable son and a happy marriage, but still feels rootless. Perhaps his feeling stems from a childhood spent in Sweden, after which he returned to Finland as a teen. As taciturn Latvalehto and his dad, Tauno, drive from Oulu, Finland, to their former home in Gothenburg, their painfully honest conversations are punctuated by songs written in the 1970s by first-generation Finnish immigrants to Sweden ; these are performed live, in sprightly stagings, by second-generation Swedish-Finnish musicians. Tech credits are fine; appealing musical performances deserve a soundtrack album.
Finnish Blood, Swedish Heart
Documentary - Finland-Sweden-Norway-France
Production:
A Pirkanmaan elokuvakeskus release (in Finland) of a Klaffi Film prods., Hysteria Film production with the support of Swedish Film Institute, SVT, YLE, Finnish Film Foundation, AVEK, ESEK, Nordic Film & TV Fund, Arte Geie. (International sales: Klaffi Film, Helsinki.) Produced by Ulla Simonen. Executive producers, Mika Ronkainen, Kimmo Paananen. Co-producer, Antonio Russo Merenda. Directed, written by Mika Ronkainen.
Crew:
Camera (HD color), Vesa Taipaleenmaki; editor, Asa Mossberg; music, Anna Jarvinen, Darya Pakarinen, Love Antell, Markus Fagervall, Mirella Hautala, Manskensorkestern, Hannu Kiviaho, Heikki Kiviaho, Harri Manty, Jukka Takalo; sound (5.1 Dolby Digital), Janne Huotari, Juha-Pekka Leppaluto; sound designer, Esa Nissi. Running time: 90 MIN. Reviewed at Gothenburg Film Festival (competing), Feb. 3, 2013.
Cast:
With: Kai Latvalehto, Tauno Latvalehto, Oiva Latvalehto.
(Finnish, Swedish dialogue)
Popular on Variety
Daniel Radcliffe on Answering Prayers in 'Miracle Workers'
BTS Wants to Sing With Lady Gaga
How Miley Cyrus Set Up Her Duet With Shawn Mendes
Smokey Robinson Defends J. Lo’s Motown Grammy Tribute
Brandi Carlile on LGBTQ Representation: 'It's Important to Be Out in Your Music'
Rams vs. Patriots: Who Should Win Super Bowl LIII?
'Imaginary Order' Director Experienced Sexism on Her Own Set
Alan Alda Reflects on His Life as An Actor
Inside Michael Jackson Sex Abuse Documentary 'Leaving Neverland'
Rosanna Arquette Claims Harvey Weinstein Spies on His Accusers
Mary J. Blige kicks butt. The singer-actress plays Cha-Cha, a villain in the new “The Umbrella Academy,” Netflix’s adaptation of the superhero comic book series of the same name. “I went all the way for Cha-Cha,” Blige told Variety on Tuesday at the series’ red carpet premiere in Hollywood. “The stunt work was amazing. I [...]
“Dear White People” and “Leimert Park” executive producer Mel Jones is extremely familiar with growing up and watching “white men in all types of roles and never [seeing] ourselves as a part of those narratives.” Now, there may be some more opportunities for writers of color to tell their own stories, but, she notes, there [...]
“I obviously misspoke in that situation,” Rebel Wilson told Variety at the premiere of her latest film “Isn’t It Romantic” Monday, acknowledging the gaffe in which she claimed to be the first-ever plus-sized woman to star in a romantic comedy during an October appearance on “Ellen.” Following the comment, Wilson was met with criticism from Twitter [...]
Halle Berry wasn’t immediately sold on the idea of a “Boomerang” reboot. The 1992 romantic comedy, which starred Berry, Eddie Murphy, and Robin Givens, told the tale of cocky ad executive and insatiable ladies’ man Marcus (Murphy) who meets his match in his new boss Jacqueline (Givens) — an exec who treats him the same [...]
Liam Hemsworth had every intention of bringing his wife, Miley Cyrus, to Monday’s premiere of his new romantic comedy “Isn’t It Romantic.” However, the Aussie actor was forced to skip the evening because of some “health things.” That didn’t stop Cyrus from attended the red carpet shindig at the Theater at the Ace Hotel in downtown [...]
It wasn’t Soho House, the Polo Lounge or the Four Seasons that Mark Ronson chose for his post-Grammy “Club Heartbreak” celebration with some of the biggest stars in music. Rather, Adele, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Troye Sivan, Charli XCX and the girls from Haim were among the revelers at Oil Can Harry’s in Studio City, [...]
One of Motown’s biggest legends, Smokey Robinson, hit back at criticism over whether or not Jennifer Lopez should be leading the Motown tribute at Sunday’s Grammy Awards. “I don’t think anyone who is intelligent is upset,” he told Variety. “I think anyone who is upset is stupid.” Speaking to Variety’s Marc Malkin outside Clive Davis’ [...]
