Tommy and the Wildcat (1998)

Twelve-year-old Tommy reluctantly moves with his father from the big city to a small Lapp village - the childhood home of his mother, who has recently died. The village is close to the ... See full summary »

Directors:

Raimo O. Niemi, Ville Suhonen

Writers:

Ville Suhonen (screenplay), Martin Daniel (screenplay)

Stars:

Konsta Hietanen, Risto Tuorila, Jarmo Mäkinen

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Konsta Hietanen	...	Tommy
Risto Tuorila	...	Uncle Jouko
Jarmo Mäkinen	...	Haapala
Antti Virmavirta	...	Father
Kristiina Halttu	...	Helena
Rauno Ahonen	...	Jaska
Jussi Puhakka	...	Oula
Markku Huhtamo	...	Kalle Pokka
Mikko Kivinen	...	Park Director
Aarno Sulkanen	...	Chief of Police
Tero Jartti	...	Junior Herdsman
Ville Myllyrinne	...	Policeman
Katariina Kaitue	...	Mother
Pentti Jumisko	...	Junior Herdsman
Tapani Kenttämaa	...	Junior Herdsman

Storyline

Twelve-year-old Tommy reluctantly moves with his father from the big city to a small Lapp village - the childhood home of his mother, who has recently died. The village is close to the northernmost wildlife reserve in the world, where Tommy's father will be working on a project to release a captive lynx into the wild. The boy gradually falls under the spell of his new surroundings, and discovers that his mother was involved in protecting the local lynx, and, when his father's project fails, and the lynx is about to be sold, he decides to set it free himself. A dramatic series of events ensues, and Tommy, through his brave actions, regains the trust and respect of his family and the village.

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Plot Keywords:

lynx | wilderness | loss of mother | coming of age | animal rights | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Drama

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Details

Country:

Finland

Language:

English Finnish

Release Date:

18 December 1998 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Mon ami le lynx

Filming Locations:

Posio, Finland

Box Office

Budget:

FIM13,103,151 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wildcat Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Scenes without animals were filmed twice with both Finnish and English language dialogue, although the final English language version does not use the voices of the original cast as the dialogue was dubbed by Canadian actors.

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Goofs

When Tomi is at the hospital, a glimpse thru window shows green leaves on trees, despite the fact that he was just rescued from snowy wintertime wilderness.

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Alternate Versions

The film has been shot in both Finnish and English versions with some minor differences in scenes.

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Soundtracks

Valot
Written and arranged by Rauli Somerjoki
Performed by Rauli Somerjoki

User Reviews

Film about a boy and a lynx (wild cat)

Beautiful film seen on the day before Christmas. Puts you in a perfect Christmas mood without the bells. Great to see such a nice film, which I would have liked to show my little niece, to see how things go in nature...including the mingling of human nature. And it seems to me unique to see the lynx in a movie ! Surprisingly to watch, as this wild cat is normally extremely shy for humans, and almost extinct in most of the forests in Europe. Although it is actually spotted again in some larger natural areas of western Europe (Germany)!

So this was bound to happen in Lapland, Finland. Nice filming, good character-acting, and a story where the wild cat is not only a purring, lovable cat, but also a wild animal, that even can kill other animal 'for fun', as one of the lynx-hunters expressed it. Fortunately perseverence of the boy, Tom, and the love for the wild cat, Leevi, wins it in the end.

It's a good theme, good to watch for children, and...grown ups, as nature is still something mankind doesn't seem to be able to live with so easily. All around an excellent film to watch for anyone, who like animals, nature, adventure and ...sheer beauty !

Coen van Hall, The Netherlands