Mother of Mine (2005)

During World War II, more than 70,000 Finnish children were evacuated to neutral Sweden to avoid the conflict. From the award-winning Klaus Härö (Elina: As If I Wasn't There (2002)), "... See full summary »

Director:

Klaus Härö

Writers:

Veikko Aaltonen (based on a screenplay by), Heikki Hietamies (novel)

Stars:

Topi Majaniemi, Marjaana Maijala, Maria Lundqvist

16 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Topi Majaniemi	...	Eero Lahti
Marjaana Maijala	...	Kirsti Lahti - Eeron äiti
Maria Lundqvist	...	Signe Jönsson - äiti Ruotsissa
Michael Nyqvist	...	Hjalmar Jönsson - isä Ruotsissa
Esko Salminen	...	Eero Lahti - nykyaika
Aino-Maija Tikkanen	...	Kirsti Lahti - nykyaika
Kari-Pekka Toivonen	...	Lauri - Eeron isä
Brasse Brännström	...	Isoisä Ruotsissa
Penny Elvira Loftéen	...	Siv - naapurintyttö
Ia Langhammer	...	Anna
Leif Andrée	...	Gunnar
Marie Göranzon	...	Rouva Grevnäs
Åsa Persson	...	Opettajatar
Gustav Wiklund	...	Pappi
Patrick Henriksen	...	Tuomas - kotiavustaja

Storyline

During World War II, more than 70,000 Finnish children were evacuated to neutral Sweden to avoid the conflict. From the award-winning Klaus Härö (Elina: As If I Wasn't There (2002)), "Mother of Mine" tackles that painful patch of history in a tale of 9-year-old Eero, a child who increasingly feels abandoned by his biological Finnish mother and yet not attached to his Swedish surrogate mom. When he is returned to Finland, his confusion intensifies.

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Plot Keywords:

mother daughter relationship | male protagonist | finnish | swedish | continuation war | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Submitted by Finland to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (U.S.A.) for consideration for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 78th Academy Awards.

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Soundtracks

Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht!
Composed by Franz Xaver Gruber (1818)
Lyrics written by Joseph Mohr (1818)
Swedish lyrics written by Oscar Mannström (1915)
Musical Arrangement by Mats Bergström

User Reviews

Brilliant!

I saw this film at the Toronto International Film Festival in September '05, near the end of the festival. By that time, I have seen enough, and I am quite critical: I will walk out on films (I almost never do that!), or resent a mediocre film for wasting my precious TIFF time.

Not this film. I can't think of a reason why I shouldn't give this beautiful film a 10. It had me literally from the opening shot, right through to the credits. When I see a film like this, it makes me wonder what American film makers are doing, offering rehashes of stuff we saw thirty years ago (think Batman, Star Wars, even King Kong).

Here is a wonderful story, gut wrenching at times, painful to see, but compelling. Maria Lundqvist as Signe is amazing to watch, as is Topi Majaniemi as Eero. Michael Nyqvist (Hjalmer) is sublime in the supporting role.

Beautiful cinematography, fabulous acting, a great thought provoking story. What more could you ask for at the cinema?

My final comment on "Mother of Mine:" Find a way to see this film.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Finland] (Finnish, Swedish, English)

Country:

Finland Sweden

Language:

Finnish Swedish

Release Date:

30 September 2005 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Mother of Mine

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Box Office

Budget:

EUR2,900,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,851,888

Company Credits

Production Co:

Matila Röhr Productions (MRP), Omega Film & Television AB, Film i Skåne

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min 111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1