Äideistä parhain (2005)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Klaus Härö

Writers:

Veikko Aaltonen (based on a screenplay by)
Heikki Hietamies (novel)

Release Date:

30 September 2005 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

During World War II, more than 70,000 Finnish children were evacuated to neutral Sweden to avoid the conflict...

Plot Keywords:

Finnish | Swedish | War Child | Beach | Flashback Sequence

Awards:

11 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Topi Majaniemi	...	Eero Lahti
Marjaana Maijala	...	Kirsti Lahti - Eeron äiti
Maria Lundqvist	...	Signe Jönsson - äiti Ruotsissa
Michael Nyqvist	...	Hjalmar Jönsson - isä Ruotsissa
Esko Salminen	...	Eero Lahti - nykyaika
Aino-Maija Tikkanen	...	Kirsti Lahti - nykyaika
Kari-Pekka Toivonen	...	Lauri - Eeron isä
Brasse Brännström	...	Isoisä Ruotsissa
Penny Elvira Loftéen	...	Siv - naapurintyttö
Maria Langhammer	...	Anna
Leif Andrée	...	Gunnar
Marie Göranzon	...	Rouva Grevnäs
Åsa Persson	...	Opettajatar
Gustav Wiklund	...	Pappi
Patrick Henriksen	...	Tuomas - kotiavustaja

Also Known As:

Den bästa av mödrar (Sweden)
Mother of Mine (International: English title)

Runtime:

Canada:111 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Argentina:111 min

Country:

Finland | Sweden

Language:

Finnish | Swedish

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Sweden:11 | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Company:

Matila Röhr Productions (MRP)

Trivia:

Submitted by Finland to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (U.S.A.) for consideration for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 78th Academy Awards.

English Name: Mother of Mine. A Very Special Movie

I saw this at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival today to a sell-out crowd with a very engaging Finnish director, Klaus Härö present. This film had real heart and honesty. It can and should be appreciated both in and outside of Scandanavia.

The film highlights a significant event in Finnish history -- that during WWII, around 70,000 Finnish children were sent to Sweden among other countries to be temporarily hosted as their real parents stayed in Finland to continue in the war. The story is made accessible and immediate by taking us through the experiences of one child -- Eero (Topi Majaniemi) -- who as a 9-year old boy is dealing with language differences, a desire to return home, and a host family that can provide materially, but maybe not in the non-material ways that Eero really needs.

That the film stays true to the viewpoints and desires of the child really makes this movie work. From the opening sequences, the warring environment was clear. As the movie continued, the sense of the unknown, a certain amount of foreboding and the ever-present desire to connect with family was also subtly introduced to give a very full sense of the conflict within this child's mind. The soundtrack nicely complemented everything the movie was going for.

This is a great total package with a movie that is assured, concise and crafted from a very fine director. This film gets my recommendation. Moreover, I'm very much looking forward to seeing the next film from this decidedly capable director!