With few options, newly pardoned convict Leila agrees to work as an assistant to a blind pastor. Father Jacob spends his days answering the letters of the needy, which Leila finds pointless...
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Fleeing from the Russian secret police, a young Estonian fencer is forced to return to his homeland, where he becomes a physical education teacher at a local school. The past however catches up and puts him in front of a difficult choice.
Director:
Klaus Härö
Stars:
Märt Avandi,
Ursula Ratasepp,
Hendrik Toompere Sr.
An elderly art dealer Olavi (72) is about to retire. A man who has always put business and art before everything - even his family - cannot imagine life without work. At an auction, an old ... See full summary »
Director:
Klaus Härö
Stars:
Heikki Nousiainen,
Pirjo Lonka,
Amos Brotherus
Sweden 1951. A new society is developing, a society where there is no room for the socially and mentally weak. Gertrud is a 17 year old girl from a very poor family. Against her will, she ... See full synopsis »
When a schoolteacher is sacked he projects his bad mood at his troubled teen son. He in turn buys a CD player from a pawnshop with counterfeit money. This causes a chain-reaction that ... See full summary »
Director:
Aku Louhimies
Stars:
Jasper Pääkkönen,
Mikko Leppilampi,
Pamela Tola
Täällä Pohjantähden alla is based on the book with the same title. It is a story of the little village. The movie starts in the 1890's and it ends to the Finnish civil war in 1918. Story ... See full summary »
Director:
Edvin Laine
Stars:
Aarno Sulkanen,
Titta Karakorpi,
Risto Taulo
Häjyt tells a story of two friends who have a hard time finding their place in the society. Antti and Jussi are released from jail. While they were doing time for bank robbery, the third ... See full summary »
Director:
Aleksi Mäkelä
Stars:
Samuli Edelmann,
Juha Veijonen,
Teemu Lehtilä
Juhani, 14 years old and tormented by a childhood trauma, has changed several foster parents from the age of eight. He is taken to an island, where there is a boys' home, run by a strict ... See full summary »
Director:
Dome Karukoski
Stars:
Niilo Syväoja,
Tommi Korpela,
Kristiina Halttu
"Raja 1918", also known as "The Border", is a Finnish war drama film directed by Lauri Törhönen set in the immediate aftermath of the Finnish Civil War of 1918. It is spring of 1918. A ... See full summary »
Director:
Lauri Törhönen
Stars:
Martin Bahne,
Minna Haapkylä,
Tommi Korpela
With few options, newly pardoned convict Leila agrees to work as an assistant to a blind pastor. Father Jacob spends his days answering the letters of the needy, which Leila finds pointless. But when the letters stop, the pastor is devastated and Leila finds herself cast in a new role.Written by
Pusan International Film Festival
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 82th Academy Awards. See more »
Goofs
In one brief shot, the mailbox in the yard has water streaming out from four holes. This water could not have accumulated naturally, so it was obviously poured into the mailbox by the crew just before the shot. See more »
Quotes
Vankilan Johtaja:
Twelve years and no mention about leaves. Not a single requisition.
Leila:
Haven't had any reason.
Vankilan Johtaja:
And no family meetings.
Leila:
I have had no reason.
Vankilan Johtaja:
Do you have any idea where are you going to go next?
Leila:
It was to be life sentence.
Vankilan Johtaja:
Pardon has been accepted and that's that.
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I'm assuming that the reader's idea of a great movie does not necessarily include explosions, gunfire or sex. Those can be part of a good movie, but you won't find them here. This is literally a quiet movie that has to be judged on its own terms.
In that context, this is a terrific movie. The story is simple but well told and well acted. It's moving without being maudlin or syrupy. Straightforward yet emotionally involving. It's about forgiveness, redemption, and purpose in life, as worked out by a most odd couple, an aged blind priest and an ex-con who did time for murder.
So within its limited parameters, I found it a beautiful film. My only complaint relates to the ending, which was rather contrived. I don't want to add a spoiler, but I thought the ending could've been drawn out a bit longer and been more convincing and effective. Watch it - and do watch it, if it sounds even remotely appealing - and I think you'll see what I mean.
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I'm assuming that the reader's idea of a great movie does not necessarily include explosions, gunfire or sex. Those can be part of a good movie, but you won't find them here. This is literally a quiet movie that has to be judged on its own terms. In that context, this is a terrific movie. The story is simple but well told and well acted. It's moving without being maudlin or syrupy. Straightforward yet emotionally involving. It's about forgiveness, redemption, and purpose in life, as worked out by a most odd couple, an aged blind priest and an ex-con who did time for murder. So within its limited parameters, I found it a beautiful film. My only complaint relates to the ending, which was rather contrived. I don't want to add a spoiler, but I thought the ending could've been drawn out a bit longer and been more convincing and effective. Watch it - and do watch it, if it sounds even remotely appealing - and I think you'll see what I mean.