The Matriarch (2007)

The heart of the film is the Koppelo family. Worn out after a number of travels, but united and strong, this family is proud of their history. They have their share of misfortunes but never... See full synopsis »

Director:

Markku Pölönen

Writer:

Markku Pölönen

Stars:

Peter Franzén, Sanna-Kaisa Palo, Samuel Vauramo

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Franzén	...	Laszlo
Sanna-Kaisa Palo	...	Martta
Samuel Vauramo	...	Kasper
Jenni Banerjee	...	Lara
Heikki Kinnunen	...	Niccolo / Otto
Tatu Siivonen	...	Repe
Tuomas Uusitalo	...	Hippo
Toni Wahlström	...	Ventti
Kaarina Turunen	...	Hullu-Helena
Lotta Lehtikari	...	Veera
Elina Knihtilä	...	Roosa
Emma Piitulainen	...	Anna
Puntti Valtonen	...	Jori
Ismo Apell	...	Jali Nappi
Janne Reinikainen	...	Lutku

Storyline

The heart of the film is the Koppelo family. Worn out after a number of travels, but united and strong, this family is proud of their history. They have their share of misfortunes but never stop believing in themselves: We are not just any gang of vagabonds; we are part of world history!

Members of the Koppelo family were once court tailors for Nicholas II of Russia. The Finnish family sewed all the beautiful wedding gowns and lace dresses familiar from photos of the Czar´s family. When the Russian revolution started, Sofia, one of the ancestresses of the family and Nicholas II´s last mistress, fled to Finland with her out-of-wedlock son, her sisters and their families. They crossed the frozen Gulf of Finland and ended up in Terijoki, a small town in the south-eastern Finland that now belongs to Russia.

Accused of being Bolshevists, the family fled the Finnish Civil War to Europe. Years passed, and the family spread throughout the United States and Southern Europe. In 1970s, part of ...

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Plot Keywords:

wedding dress | weak men | strong woman | strong female character | searching for happiness | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed simultaniously in both Finnish and English.

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Alternate Versions

Filmed also in English.

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Soundtracks

While Your Lips Are Still Red
Written by Tuomas Holopainen
Performed by Marco Hietala

User Reviews

nothing special

Beginning and the base of the story was interesting, and going on fine. Then when Laszlo (Frantzen) comes back to family, the story starts to change more to some gangster stuff... and also Laszlo's character is widely annoying and idiotic, and I didn't realize why he is speaking such a stupid way, and not sounding natural at all. Well... gangsters comes even more, little fighting, good against the evil. Kind of basic story. Not to much humor inside as I was expecting. Some ultra cheesy singing parts and music in this film made want to skip the end totally; just too much sentimental crap. I didn't even care anymore how it will end, what will happen. It's easy to imagine anyway. Of course movie was not full of bad stuff. Some acting and film shooting is very well made, and this movie actually had some nice idea. Only how it became after all wasn't a success.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Finland]

Country:

Finland

Language:

Finnish

Release Date:

14 September 2007 (Finland)

Also Known As:

The Matriarch

Filming Locations:

Herajärvi, Kolin kansallispuisto, Finland

Box Office

Budget:

EUR1,400,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$667,849

Company Credits

Production Co:

Suomen Filmiteollisuus

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1