Menolippu Mombasaan

I thought this would be a tiresome tragedy about a young man with cancer. Boy was I wrong. This is a roadmovie with lots of humour and jokes about death. New and upcoming actors are always refreshing and this is no exception. This is a movie for everyone, with exception to the youngest toddlers, which might be scared by a nosebleed.

I just saw this movie from Estonian TV channel. I didn't seen it from start, but i started when Pete went to operation and came back with bald-headed & then everything started with humor and action. I really think its greatest Finnish movie over long time. I even got some unwanted tears at end of movie, because of the happy end with death :) That movie can be much better if you can understand Finnish and don't need subtitles, because some jokes and sentences are hard to translate. Here was some whimpering comments about this movie, but i think that problem was about understanding. Now i go to find that movie on DVD and also that great soundtrack.

Finnish movies have come a long way. This movie which has also had some success at festivals around the world is evidence that Finland can produce international quality movies. The actors are all really good and their performance is from time to time truly outstanding. It is always hard to make a movie with subjects like cancer but this movie manages to show cancer from a different angle. It is very nice to see the boys so full of life even in their weak situation. A must see for everyone.

Menolippu Mombasaan (I guess the title could be translated "One Way Ticket To Mombasa") tells a story about two young boys who have cancer and they really want to live their last moments and they run away from hospital. Other boy dreams about Mombasa and it's golden sands and the other dreams about a girl who is in Lapland. And boys decide to take a trip to Mombasa via Lapland.

Movie deals with hard feelings about short life, love and living without it. Characters are well built and played. Story is partly little predictable and has some too easy solutions but still has enough life and humor that it goes very nicely on. Movie touched me personally, because I've thought same things that boys in the movie had to deal with. I truly believe that people should have a right to end their lives way they want and should have enough courage to make their dreams come true and everyone should at least once feel to be loved by someone.

This is a Finnish movie and you can hear it from the soundtrack (it contains some old and well known Finnish songs) and see from the scenery (forests, Lapland, midnight sun) but I believe that also other people get lot from this movie.

For some reason I got the chance to watch this movie on DVD and to check some fresh faces in European movie making. The idea of a road movie in beautifully shot summerly Findand is quite tempting, and the elements of the 'last hot summer before the adulthood' are all there. Just like in Mexico's "Y tu mamá también" there are two guys interested in sex, booze and rock'n and roll, and a hot chick. Whereas "y tu mamá también" is a master piece and well acted, directed, edited and told, this movie falls short of its intentions in building a coherent drama. Acting is flat, especially the wooden love interest; the girl that goes to Lapland and is followed by the two main characters. Maybe the reason for her inexpressiveness is the poor dialogue but we are never really let to understand her feelings or her motives, and while we are meant to believe that she is the object of desire of one of the main characters, there's a complete lack of chemistry between them which made me wonder why would he ever skip a trip to Mombasa because of her. She is a nice-looking girl but seems so amateur and uncomfortable with the camera that it is almost painful to watch.

The two main characters are good to look at, and there lays one of the basic problems of the movie. They are bald, yes, but that's the only visible trace of their supposed illnesses. They run, jump, dance and have fun, and just look too healthy to be cancer patients. No medicine is that strong. The guitar boy bears a strong resemblance to Mexico's Gael García Marquez (only time will tell whether he has the same level of talent) and is given little material to work with. The real star here is Yusa, the crazy guy. Even if this character is highly exaggerated and the script lacks 'profoundness', the actor is skilled enough to put his heart and energy in the character and while he completely steals the movie (together with the outstanding Finnish countryside), he is the only real reason to keep watching it.