Heikki Katajisto Movies

Katya is seventeen. A year ago, her parents went through a very messy divorce, and she hasn't seen her father since then. Now she is determined to learn more about him and to rebuild her relationship with him. To that end, she has moved in with him. She's got her work cut out for her: he's an undemonstrative man who has settled cozily into bachelor life and who resists any efforts to accommodate her. However, in this family drama, it's clear that this strong-minded young lady is probably equal to the task. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this distinctly Finnish comedy, melancholy seems to be a dominant undercurrent to the mishaps which occur when a divorced mother of a toddler can't keep her (remarried) ex-husband at arm's length, but allows him back into her bed from time to time. She is also unable to take her various lovers and suitors seriously and exists in a state of perpetual indecision. Meanwhile, her father, a prominent surgeon, is dissatisfied with his life. Rather than talk about his problems to his wife of many years, he shares his concerns with a terminally ill female patient. It seems that he is about to leave his comfortable life for a charity job in Africa. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In a puzzling study of a Finn's sojourn in Berlin, this understated (if not experimental) drama features Redbeard (Anssi Manttari, also the director) as he wanders around the city looking for a piano player and some lost music. He not only finds the man but also has a curious, brief relationship with the silent Morena (Caroline Kruger), a beautiful Italian waitress. For some inexplicable reason, Redbeard sends her packing and does not carry their budding liaison any further. Some reflection of Redbeard might be found in a small German boy who tries to become his friend and has quite a miserable home life -- his parents argue and are uncaring, at the very least. With the lovely Italian woman who is sent away and the unhappy German boy, could Manttari be thinking of his native Finland and its relationship to both Germany and Italy before the war? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this amusing yet sympathetic slice-of-life, a young couple have been unable to start a family of their own, even though the woman, Raja (Liisa Halonen) is fertile. Raja becomes attracted to another man, and they start an affair, though she loves her husband and does not want to leave him. Gradually the lover -- who seems superficial at first -- and the husband become friends, maybe not a cinematic first but still unusual. Raja eventually becomes pregnant by her lover, resolving one problem but exacerbating the relationship with her husband.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Anna (Harriet Andersson) is a 40-year-old anesthesiologist who takes a working vacation with her teenage daughter (Maarit Hyttinen) and their maid (Pertti Melasniemi). She turns down her lover's request to marry because she believes the union will not maintain their status as equals. Next door to the trio lives a boozy ex-politician (Papani Perttu) and his teenage son (Tapio Rautavaara). The maid and the neighbor boy engage in a passionate affair while Anna reflects on her middle age and examines her changing values in regards to life, love and her career. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

This ponderous tragedy concerns a woman who is married and has three children. Although she is attractive, her husband ignores her, and she seeks comfort in the arms of another man. The discovery of her infidelity leads to the inevitable tragic consequences of love gone wrong, as her husband seeks vengeance over her activities. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi