Paha maa (2005)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Aku Louhimies

Writers:

Paavo Westerberg (screenplay) and
Jari Rantala (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 January 2005 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In the end things work out for the best for all of us.

Plot:

When a schoolteacher is sacked he projects his bad mood at his troubled teen son. He in turn buys a CD player from a pawnshop with counterfeit money...

Plot Keywords:

Counterfeit Money | Pawnshop | Car Salesman | Funeral | Domestic Violence

Awards:

17 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Jasper Pääkkönen	...	Niko Smolander
Mikko Leppilampi	...	Tuomas Mikael Saraste
Pamela Tola	...	Elina Oravisto
Petteri Summanen	...	Antti Arhamo
Matleena Kuusniemi	...	Hannele Arhamo
Mikko Kouki	...	Isto Virtanen
Sulevi Peltola	...	Teuvo 'Teukka' Hurskainen
Pertti Sveholm	...	Pertti Smolander
Samuli Edelmann	...	'Jartsa' Matikainen
Saara Pakkasvirta	...	Kauppiaan äiti
Pekka Valkeejärvi	...	Kauppias
Susanna Anteroinen	...	Rehtori
Niklas Hellakoski	...	Konsta
Emilia Suoperä	...	Maria
Jonathan Kajander	...	Joonatan 'Jonttu' Arhamo

Also Known As:

Frozen Land (Finland) (Hong Kong: English title) (festival title) (International: English title) (USA)
Eisiges Land (Germany) (TV title) [de]
Frozen Land (Denmark) [da]
Frozen Land (Netherlands) (festival title) [nl]
Fruset land (Sweden) [sv]
Terra Congelada (Brazil) (festival title) [pt]

Runtime:

130 min | UK:132 min

Country:

Finland

Language:

Finnish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Philippines:R-13 | Sweden:15 | Hong Kong:III | UK:18 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Company:

Solar Films

Trivia:

There was severe disagreement on the final cut of this film. Director Aku Louhimies did not approve the edition, which Solar Films originally planned to release. On 2 December 2004 Louhimies filed Helsinki Municipal Court a cease and desist letter where he requests that Solar Films may not distribute the version he hasn't approved on threat of 300 000 euro fine. The situation was solved some days later, when Louhimies and producer Markus Selin agreed the dispute by making one more edition of the film, which satisfied both parties.

Movie Connections:

Version of L'argent (1983)

Soundtrack:

Lumottu maa

Not particularly brilliant

Let's see. This movie is many things to different people. To Finns, as shown by the comments, it can be OK or dreadful or boring. To other folks, it can be something different. First off: if you do not speak Finnish (I do), you will understand half of what is going on, as subtitles are dreadful and even the title is translated incorrectly ("Paha maa" would probably be idiomatically translated as Badlands in UK English).

Why did I not like it? Because it is a Tarantino-style movie: it simply takes a very harsh reality and throws it back at you, as brutally as possible. I, however, am not American, and thus I am not particularly fond of this proceeding, because all it does is show that the director has really nothing new to say. Technical prowess (camera work is brilliant), script (not that unoriginal) do not rescue this movie from the bottom where it belongs. Should you wish to see a Finnish movie, then go for any of the Kaurismäki brothers' movie, who match talent and directorial skill, with very good actresses and actors.

This director ought to review his intention and priorities: none was intelligible, and thus this film failed. By not watching it you won't miss much.