When Lieksa! had it's release here in Finland, I'm ashamed to admit that I let the mostly lukewarm reviews get to me and I passed this wonderful film. Thank heavens I was able to catch it on TV. I can understand that some people might not be enthusiastic about a film, which is like a fairy tale for grown ups.
The cinematography is incredibly beautiful and it gives the film an other-worldly feeling. The cast is quite good, especially Sanna-Kaisa Palo's Martta and I love the music, especially the song "While Your Lips Are Still Red" by Nightwish.
**** HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD*** **** HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD***
Lieksa! tells a story of a man, who on a wintery night stops his car when he sees a crashed wan on the side of a road. The man is drunk and when he realizes that the crash site was a setup he has very little time to react before his head makes a contact with a shovel. The Koppelo family boys were trying to steal the man's car, but when they saw cops approaching, they panic and enter the shovel. The old-boys take the man with them to their camp, where they realize that the man has lost, not only his memory, but also his ability to speak. They decide to keep him and re-name him as Kasper.
The Koppelo family is like a band of gypsies, traveling the road in old banged-up trailers. The head of the family is Martta, a strong willed woman, who has two beautiful daughters and two slow minded sons. There also few other family members in the group. The family's great grandmother was a a lover of the former Russian emperor, Nicolai the II and the Koppelo family is truly proud of their royal blood, even though they are living from hand to mouth. They are, like their forefathers before them, great tailors and the family is heading for a town called Lieksa, dreaming for the possibility to set up a tailor shop when they get there.
Kasper catches the eye of Lara, the beautiful younger daughter of Martha and Kasper starts to develop feelings for her. Things are complicated by the fact, that Kasper can't utter a word and when the dangerous, handsome Laszlo, the black sheep of the family shows up, he starts to romance Lara, who is starting to grow weary with Kasper's silence. Laszlo easily charms the Koppelo boys, but Martta is suspicious. When Laszlo is caught red-handed stealing the family money, he is driven out of camp and he sells the family to a bunch of thugs. Kasper overhears the plan but is caught by Laszlo and beaten up badly.
Laszol tells the family to leave all their possessions behind and leave or they will be killed. The family decides to fight and with the help (mostly) of the women, they overthrow the thugs. Laszlo's legendary father, who left the family years ago arrives and defeats and disowns Laszlo. Kasper moves in with Lara.
When the caravan reaches the Lieksa city border, the Koppelo boys are sent to check the town. When they come back few days later, they look shocked. They tell the family that they had experienced more during those few days spent in Lieksa, than they had during their whole life and the city-life was not for them or for the family. (The joke is, that Lieksa is one of the smallest cities in Finland). That evening, when the family is sitting around a camp fire Kasper speaks for the first time. One of the boys notes this, while the other one observes that Kasper is only thinking out loud and it really sounds like that. Kasper has narrated the story during the film and his speech sounds just like a narration. He observes that the destination is not important. It is the journey that counts and he says that maybe the Koppelo family is destined to journey on. So they keep on traveling, in to the night.
The cinematography is incredibly beautiful and it gives the film an other-worldly feeling. The cast is quite good, especially Sanna-Kaisa Palo's Martta and I love the music, especially the song "While Your Lips Are Still Red" by Nightwish.
**** HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD*** **** HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD***
Lieksa! tells a story of a man, who on a wintery night stops his car when he sees a crashed wan on the side of a road. The man is drunk and when he realizes that the crash site was a setup he has very little time to react before his head makes a contact with a shovel. The Koppelo family boys were trying to steal the man's car, but when they saw cops approaching, they panic and enter the shovel. The old-boys take the man with them to their camp, where they realize that the man has lost, not only his memory, but also his ability to speak. They decide to keep him and re-name him as Kasper.
The Koppelo family is like a band of gypsies, traveling the road in old banged-up trailers. The head of the family is Martta, a strong willed woman, who has two beautiful daughters and two slow minded sons. There also few other family members in the group. The family's great grandmother was a a lover of the former Russian emperor, Nicolai the II and the Koppelo family is truly proud of their royal blood, even though they are living from hand to mouth. They are, like their forefathers before them, great tailors and the family is heading for a town called Lieksa, dreaming for the possibility to set up a tailor shop when they get there.
Kasper catches the eye of Lara, the beautiful younger daughter of Martha and Kasper starts to develop feelings for her. Things are complicated by the fact, that Kasper can't utter a word and when the dangerous, handsome Laszlo, the black sheep of the family shows up, he starts to romance Lara, who is starting to grow weary with Kasper's silence. Laszlo easily charms the Koppelo boys, but Martta is suspicious. When Laszlo is caught red-handed stealing the family money, he is driven out of camp and he sells the family to a bunch of thugs. Kasper overhears the plan but is caught by Laszlo and beaten up badly.
Laszol tells the family to leave all their possessions behind and leave or they will be killed. The family decides to fight and with the help (mostly) of the women, they overthrow the thugs. Laszlo's legendary father, who left the family years ago arrives and defeats and disowns Laszlo. Kasper moves in with Lara.
When the caravan reaches the Lieksa city border, the Koppelo boys are sent to check the town. When they come back few days later, they look shocked. They tell the family that they had experienced more during those few days spent in Lieksa, than they had during their whole life and the city-life was not for them or for the family. (The joke is, that Lieksa is one of the smallest cities in Finland). That evening, when the family is sitting around a camp fire Kasper speaks for the first time. One of the boys notes this, while the other one observes that Kasper is only thinking out loud and it really sounds like that. Kasper has narrated the story during the film and his speech sounds just like a narration. He observes that the destination is not important. It is the journey that counts and he says that maybe the Koppelo family is destined to journey on. So they keep on traveling, in to the night.