Pihalla

I won't violate the rules with spoilers here but please read bosenfrai's review. He does an excellent job of reviewing this. Oddly, this was very well acted in spite of some characters having almost split personalities and the scenery was great. It did feel like a real movie and not a low budget affair with stilted acting.

I hate movies when you have to follow a story but not with a real ending... Or at least I didnt get the point where it was going... I need my closure :D.

This is way too long, but it still offers quite a watchable look at the lives of two teenagers who don't have their demons to seek, and who manage to bring out the best, and some honesty, from each other. "Miku" (Mikko Kauppila) and his brother "Sebu" (Juho Keskitalo) have a party at which their parent's house gets pretty trashed. His dad is pretty laid back, but his mother is livid and so off to a remote cabin they go for the summer vacation. Initially bored, "Miku" meets up with the handsome "Elias" (Valtteri Lehtinen), a confident lad who knows exactly what he wants from his new friend. It doesn't take them long, nor are we left in any doubt as to the nature (no need for nurture here) of the rest of the story. It does offer us a little depth to their characters, with the harridan of a mother actually having a few mitigating worries of her own, and with the former having both a mother and a sister who might give cause for concern. It's too dialogue heavy, and the sex scenes are photographed in such a clumsy fashion as to really stifle the natural nature of the story. That said, the scenery is beautiful, there is a bit of comedy to lighten the mood now and again, and the two young men offer us just enough to keep it going.

Surprising, first, for its freshness. For humor and large slices of eccentricity. And, sure, for acting, Mirja Oksanen and Mikko Kauppila being the good examples. Nice perspective about parenthood and image of narcolepsia. In same measure, so familiar scenes, dialogues and reactions.

A nice film for cinematography and for the wise way to tell a story too familiar to give surprises but charming at whole. A beautiful, in profound sense, love story, good performances and a special veil defining each detail.

Nice little Finnish movie. Would have been even better with a more polished production and some (mainly the mothers) not so over the top characters.