Lapua 1976

This is a story about various people in Lapua in Finland in April 1976. Their lives are affected by an explosion in a local factory. I remember this day very well. It was the largest accident in Finland after WW II, I think. Finland literally stopped that day.

This movie is very moving and I honestly think it is one of the best Finnish movies I have seen in a long time. It transferred me to this small community and I felt that I almost became a part of these people's lives.

The music was haunting at times and reminded me of the music used in Titanic and Pearl Harbor. When this music comes you sort of stop, stand still and reflect.

The film tells as much about its production as it is about the subject it portrays. The first full length film by the director Toni Kurkimäki is clearly a passion project to him and the crew who are mainly composed of culture workers and artists from Lapua and wider Östrabothnia. Hugely ambitious project about a major ammunition factory disaster from a young inexperienced director did not get its trust from the Finnish film foundation, but did manage to receive enough enthusiasm and funding from the local community to get it done. The director and producer committed to take a huge loan in order to get the film finished and to the big screen, which tells you all about the passion behind this film. The story is quite generic (one could say it's Titanic set in Lapua during the 1976 disaster) but what makes the film work is the chemistry and performance of its cast as well as the sense of community and passion behind the film, aas well as the attention to detail. From the sets, to the music and to makeup. The film could have used more scenes shots in Lapua as most of the film happens either in the factory halls or inside apartments which can get get a bit repetitive at times. The main cast of characters are all a bit generic but also interesting, maybe aside from Matti whose only weakness seems to be that he has none of them (which funnilly enough is how most men in the region tend to see themselves). Despite the best efforts the explosion scene is not as impressive as the opening scene of the film, though it does have a disturbingly well made audio production.

The film tells as much about the subject as it tells about its makers and this one has a lot of emotion behind it!

I expected to see more about the workers' struggle of getting out of the ruins. That would had offered enough interesting drama. Instead, the movie concentrates on a love story happening mostly before the explosion.

All female characters are weak, they are inactive and described through their motherhood. Men take action and safe lives. I would have loved to see at least one strong female character getting herself and perhaps another person out of the ruins.

I also expected to see more of Lapua, the town where my mother and grandparents lived. Perhaps it was difficult to find good shooting locations. Best scene comes at the end.