Tom of Finland

This was a hit tonight at Tribeca Film Festival. A very fine biopic. I came away thinking how paradoxical that Scandinavia was so far ahead of the US in its relaxed attitude towards sex -- but only of the hetero variety. This film shows how tragically oppressive life was for gays (at least gay men) in Finland as late as the 1970s. When "Tom" / Touko Laaksonen arrives in L.A. to the adulation of the gay community, it's a joyous catharsis. But I disagree with the reviewer who wrote that the film wouldn't make anyone blush. Many viewers -- outside the Chelsea NYC crowd that attended tonight -- will indeed blush and even squirm, if not at the (albeit discrete) gay sex scenes, then at the artwork itself which is beyond explicit. I would advise viewing Tom of Finland's XXX-rating-worthy art before seeing the film. If you're open-minded, you will be well-rewarded... It falls short of a 10 for me because it lags in places, and the time and place contexts are often confusing. Other than that, it's an extremely well-made film that portrays the soul of an artist brave enough to break the constraints of his society and the times. It also powerfully depicts Touko's wartime experience, and how that filters into his later life -- a universal theme.

Australia is on the verge of a social milestone in the gay rights movement as it awaits the result of the marriage equality survey. This makes the historical bio-pic Tom of Finland (2017) a timely reminder of the dark history of homophobia and the liberating power of equality. It is a true story of an artist whose work became the rallying iconography for gay pride.

We meet Touko Laaksonen, aka Tom of Finland (Pekka Strang), at the end of his Finnish military service just after World War II. The army was an oppressive environment for a gay man at a time when homosexuality was a crime. Inspired by the machismo of military uniforms, Tom secretly developed what became a universal artform that became emblematic of gay culture. His sketches depicted the exaggerated muscularity and sexual power of a social underclass that was regularly lampooned as effeminate, passive and weak. Leather-clad riders on powerful bikes with bulging genitals were regarded by authorities as pornographic but they became iconic self-identity images for the gay community. His early work was dangerous: while being interrogated under suspicion of being gay, a policeman tells him "we used to throw scum like you into concentration camps". While he was an underground criminal in Finland, he was a hero in America. When he arrived in California he was overwhelmed by the openness of America's gay culture, and throughout the 60s and 70s sexual revolution his work was widely exhibited and published. Today he is lauded as one of Finland's heroes.

This story engages at several levels. It is a tale about a gay man's coming out in a repressive society and the global impact he had on the recognition of the LGBTI community. That alone is a big story. But beyond the bio-pic narrative, there is a larger story about the power of art to transform the human condition. Across millennia, art has objectified physical beauty for visual pleasure. Tom's creative sketches beautified the male body in a way that re-defined gay masculinity, empowering those suffering from persecuted sexuality. The strength of the film is in its capture of the mood, fashion, and upheaval of the times. In its two hours spanning four decades of change, it leaps across time and space with editing that can feel disjointed. The cinematography is excellent and the filming palette portrays the gloom of repressive Finland, brightening into the kaleidoscopic colours and music of free America. Key performances are played with understated realism to emphasise the role of Tom's art in social change rather than Tom as a person.

If you have ever wondered what inspired the butch styles made famous by the Village People, now you know. Regardless of where this film is seen, Tom of Finland (2017) is a reminder of just how long it has taken for the gay community to enjoy equal rights and the struggles that still remain. This interesting well-made film sheds a warm light on an artist whose work has left a lasting impact on the creation of a more inclusive society.

Film about Touko Laaksonen a gay Finnish man who fought in World War 2. He returns home with serious PTSS. He finds the only way to battle it is drawing men in leather and in various sexual positions. He also meets and falls in love with adorable Vali (Lauri Tilkanen). However homosexuality was against the law in Finland back then. The film chronicles how Touko invented the Tom of Finland name and got his work published.

Well-done film with good direction and it moves quickly. However there are two serious liabilities here. One is Laakksonen. He's terrible in the title role. He never EVER reacts to anything. He always has a blank look on his face so I didn't know how to take his lines. By contrast Tilkanen is great as his lover. I kept wishing the movie was about him! The second liability is the script. It goes swinging all over the place. We're given no clue of what era it is and what's going on. Very frustrating. Other that I liked it but those are two huge problems.

This film played out far better than I imagined it would. As a production it has a very solid and creative feel to it and over all I can't fault it. Of course it's based on a true story and for me who knew of Tom's work, I never knew the dramatic background behind it. To cram so much story into 2 hours obviously meant sacrifices but I think the writers did well there. The film gets over to the audience the sense of gay oppression in Finland around that period and the dangers that practicing gays had to live with. That all sets the scene in the first half of the film which is dramatic but downbeat. In the second half of the film which is mostly based in America it all opens out and in contrast to the first half has a real feel good about it. My score: 8 out of 10 Highly recommended

It's not bad, it's just not memorable. By trying to insert many years of Tom's life, the writer lost the chance to insert some gravitas into it all. It seemed like the focus was going to be Tom's relationship with his sister but then it kinda fizzled out... was it going to be about his love life? Nop, a sudden off-screen ending to that, its publishing process... just a bit here and there, easily and fastly solved. Hence, the lack of memorability.