Pirkka-Pekka Petelius Movies

A writer begins to wonder about his life and his manhood in this satiric comedy. Kari Hotakainen (Martti Suosalo) is a novelist whose career isn't going especially well; while his books are well reviewed, they don't sell, and his publishers have told him they want him to make some changes for his next effort. Since autobiographical works written in the form of diary entries are selling well, Hotakainen's editor suggests he try this approach; however, the truth is that Hotakainen's life isn't all that interesting, and the writer decides he needs to push his personality into higher gear. To encourage himself to live a bit more on the edge, Hotakainen considers buying a used Alfa Romeo, and while dickering with car dealer Kartio (Matti Onnismaa), he meets Pera (Janne Hyytiainen), a reckless and vodka-soaked woman-chaser who appears to be the sort of "man's man" Hotakainen wants to become. As Hotakainen and Pera get to know one another, Hotakainen finds himself frequently pondering the question of what masculinity means in contemporary Finnish culture, and what makes a "real man." Klassikko is based on a novel by Finnish writer Kari Hotakainen, who, in keeping with the book's theme, named the protagonist after himself. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this chaotic jumble of a story, an exemplary product of a school of anarchic filmmaking, a crew of people living on the fringes of Finnish society inhabit a variety of transient abodes, from the attic of a building to a large outbuilding made to hold garbage. Some of the residents earn their place in the community, such as it is, by stealing something to eat from supermarkets, others specialize in theft or welfare fraud. One woman, who plays the bagpipes from her rooftop refuge, is frequently raped by the boyfriend of the title character Iines. However, rape may not be the proper word for these episodes of sexual brutality by the man, for they seem to be tacitly accepted by everyone involved. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The first version of this story was released in 1955 with (Edvin Laine as director and no one less than a 90-year-old Jean Sibelius co-creating the score with Ahti Sonninen. This mid-'80s release is based on the same novel by Vaino Linna (who co-scripted the screenplay), but unlike the scenario in 1955, it is no longer a political hot potato. (The 1955 film was removed from competition at Cannes because of politics.) At issue are two wars for the Finnish province of Karelia fought in 1939-1940 and again in 1941-1944 against a menacing Russian encroachment. During World War II, however, the Finns were briefly allied with Hitler against the Soviet Union, and that is one point of enormous controversy. Another point revolves around whether it was prudent to go so far into Russian territory in the war -- and how does one depict the Russian stance in all this? Here, the story is a simple, direct, and honest look at the lives and deaths of a group of Finn soldiers in a series of battles that ultimately culminated in the loss of 80,000 and the province as well. The action is realistic, none of the soldiers are given a Hollywood veneer, and the three-hour running time entertains without a lag or false note. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi