Les instables

Amazing movie that really delves deep into themes of love, religion, compassion, friendship, existence, and the human soul. I admit I gained a real appreciation for the romantic elements of the Finnish language after seeing this. I put the movie on par with most of Hollywood's best love stories, but it also has an existentialist aspect making it similar to other great movies such as "Run Lola Run". The cinematography is also quite excellent and there is a real sense of a connection between the characters and their very secure and comfortable society. The natural beauty of Finland is captured perfectly and it almost adds an aura of calm to the film. I recommend this to any serious movie lovers and its a 10/10 for me.

Levottomat is a very interesting movie. Quite unique in every sense, and sometimes steps on the border between drama and softcore porn, even if it doesn't really pass it. I found the acting to be pretty good, and the story is quite intriguing. The main character reminds me a lot of a very close friend of mine, so I couldn't keep from bursting out a laughter at times. Though this doesn't mean the movie was funny as in a comedy. Though it's still got its sad and funny sides in its own way. More like sad stuff, I would say. It's frustrating to see how those girls value their sexual joy more than their friendship. But hey buddy, this is life! :-(

The plot is handled well by the director, but could be a little better. Even a movie with such a "sexy" screenplay could have been deeper. I absolutely fell in love with the priest girl, Irina Björklund. She's very pretty, and is a great actress. And the head actor is really talented.

Levottomat is all in all a pretty good effort, in spite of being slightly commercial. I somehow do not look forward to seeing the sequels, because I have a strong feeling that the commerciality would have to be overly exaggerated if one was to make a sequel of this movie. I hope I get to see the sequels and they prove me wrong. But I have doubts about that.. Levottomat in itself is still good though. And right next door to being a classic due to its unique style.

*Recommended!*

It was nice to see a Mac Ahlbeg film made in the North after all those years. Even though he is not the director of the film it is him one first think of because he made a lot of soft-focus romp during the 70's both in Sweden and Denmark.

Well, for people living in Sweden it is a film which confirm the misconception they have about Finish people: drinking way too much directly from the bottle, bad language and sex-hungry women always looking for a thrill.

A few weeks after this film was released, I had the opportunity to see it in Finland. Although it was subtitled and I don't speak very fluent Finnish, my Finnish friend, Kaisa, only had to translate a few questionable parts. I was very impressed with the quality of acting, directing, and cinematography. It appeared very equivocal to our lustrious Hollywood films. As I was visiting Helsinki in March, it was thrilling to see how Finland looked in the summer.

Being a typical "prude" American in regards to showing televised nudity, I was a little surprised at the extent of the sexual scenes. Luckily, I was introduced to Finland's policy regarding nudity before I saw this film. (Ever been to a public sauna in Helsinki?)

Even without the details of the dialogue, I greatly enjoyed the story. Kaisa told me that this film remains very controversial in Finland as some scenes give a poor portrayal of Finland's modern culture. The main racey scenes included: The bar scene showing Finnish women as VERY forward, and nothing short of...well..sluts; several scenes portraying adultery as morally justified; the bachelor party that ends up an orgy with two VERY young girls (maybe 12?); and the fact that the main character ends up with a female priest that cheats on her boyfriend!! Nevertheless, I think it did a good job portraying the loneliness 20-something individuals feel, even when they are "with" others. I think Mikko Nousianinen (II), Ari, did a great job portraying the mixture of emotional feelings in his position...his several positions.

In closing, I would like to say that this movie accomplished what it wanted to, and I will not hesitate to purchase a copy when it becomes available. Does anyone know when that is? Because I would really like to see this movie in an English subtitled version.

After having seen this film three times, I am still wondering... is this all there is? The film depicts Finland in a way that is quite unknown to most foreigners. Yes, Finland is full of depressed, melancholic, pathetic individuals, and this film doesn't actually prove anyone wrong. Still, 'Levottomat' is full of sunshine and wonderful, positive portrayals of southern Finland... put as positively as possible, with all the academic and non-academic screw-ups who - in all their restlessness and despite the sunshine - are just looking for the same things as everyone else. Slightly unrealistic like all films but also very truthful in its depiction of the lives of the 20-something people from Finland. Sad really. And in case you were wondering... yes. Even gorgeous lead-actresses have cellulite. At least in Finland.