Drakarna över Helsingfors (2001) User Reviews

NOT as good as the book (of course)

[Stenius · 6/10 · 13 May 2004]

It`s always the same thing when you read the book first and then see the film. Very rarely the movie manages to get to the level of the book, and this doesnt happen here either. Acting is pretty decent and especially delightful is the performance of P.P.Petelius as the father. The Plot seems to jump allover but some scenes really gets to the atmosphere of each age. So the whole film seems to be more about the development of social structure in Finland through the 60`s, 70`s, 80`s and 90`s rather than about the persons and their individual dreams and nightmares (like in the book). In the end it`quite superficial but not necessarily bad movie.

Pseudo-intellectual, shallow junk

[Kaizu-2 · 2/10 · 1 December 2005]

This could have been an interesting film, if there was a single character whose fate became even remotely interesting, and a single plot event that hasn't been seen a million times. The father is a self-made success story, but unhappy in his lot and just wants his firstborn son to inherit his misery. The older brother is supposedly an intellectual, artsy type who would rather spend his time high as a kite (hence the title?). The younger brother is unhappy because he doesn't want to end up like his father but rather to be a pseudo-intellectual drug addict like the brother he admires.

And that's it. There isn't one character that has more than one facet, indeed more than one expression.

The structure of the film doesn't work at all. Time-lapse cinematography is constantly used to underline the passage of time, the entire film is a flashback which backfires instantly when all questions are answered during the first two minutes. Then the dead brother starts narrating his life from the broadcast studio where he spent his final hours, ranting about the injustices of the wealthy.

Even a tragedy (such as this is apparently supposed to be) should have at least one moment of joy. Good luck finding it here, among the jungle of clichés. Don't waste your time flying these kites.