Quite a good movie about a very important issue: Fathers' custody rights. I'm very happy to see that some care enough to make such a passionate movie about it. I don't know if the DV format was an aesthetic or economical choice but that was my main beef with the movie. I know it kind of enhanced the cold atmosphere but that's one rule I'm adamant about. DV for home video, 35mm for theater, that's it, that's all. Other than that, I loved the characters and the complexity of their actions. The sex scenes were some of the most intense ones I have ever seen. You can almost touch all the love, hate and despair in the couple.
4 Reviews
Observant movie
paavooja3 December 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I liked this movie a lot more than i expected. Dialogue is realistic and Susanna Anteroinen is especially terrific depicting the mother. She really captures the annoyed's and annoying wife's pace and style of speech. It was also refreshing to see the mother as the bad guy. And i'm certain that many men can sympathize Veli-Matti's situation and the enormity of his suffering and the intense feeling of being subjected to injustice that he feels.
but it feels to me that the writer's didn't know where to go with the story after they had fired the protagonist from his job. So they decided to do the "Frozen Land" solution. Protagonist does some heavy drinking and kills someone for no reason at all. (only surprise is that they did not take the spousal abuse pathway, but that was in line with the antifeminist undertones of the movie.) Until that point the movie was a really insightful depiction of the feelings of the father when he gets unjustly left out of his children's life. Then comes the great deus ex machina that the director invented for his previous film (frozen land): "If the character suffers from any misfortunes (and he always will) he will do some heavy drinking. When under influence of alcohol we can make him do anything at all without giving any heed to whether it fits his character or whether it somehow makes sense.
Yes they did introduce the victim, but his character didn't make any sense. He doesn't like V-M's curtains, so he steals his pet guinea-pig keeps it alive and well in his apartment for many days (although he intensely despises all rodents that thinks them to be a hygiene risk) then stays awake every evening to wait that Veli-Matti will come home staggering drunk. Then he fulfils his masterplan: comes down to the front door, puts the guinea pig in a shopping bag and kills the poor rodent. supposedly all this to send Veli-Matti some message. The director gives two clues to explain the behaviour of the neighbor: lives still with his mom, speaks like latent homosexual stereotype.
So Veli-Matti kills the neighbour and drags his corpse to the woods. Yes. Great stuff. A touching story of a man going through a difficult divorce is abruptly interrupted by idiotic "Frozen Land" stunt in which the main character changes from a sympathetic guy into a murderous maniac. (because of alcohol-consumption.) for no reason and all.
All is left is a pointless epilogue in which Veli-Matti is in prison. the epilogue is pretty good stuff. something like the first half of the movie, but we don't care anymore because we lost contact with the characters already. Thank you mr. Louhimies I really was at first fooled into thinking that this was a story in which the characters lead the way and determined the outcome. But once again you wanted to tell the story of drunken people committing random homicides. you don't need character-development or motives if the characters are drunk while doing whatever they are doing.
seven points. all for the beginning.
but it feels to me that the writer's didn't know where to go with the story after they had fired the protagonist from his job. So they decided to do the "Frozen Land" solution. Protagonist does some heavy drinking and kills someone for no reason at all. (only surprise is that they did not take the spousal abuse pathway, but that was in line with the antifeminist undertones of the movie.) Until that point the movie was a really insightful depiction of the feelings of the father when he gets unjustly left out of his children's life. Then comes the great deus ex machina that the director invented for his previous film (frozen land): "If the character suffers from any misfortunes (and he always will) he will do some heavy drinking. When under influence of alcohol we can make him do anything at all without giving any heed to whether it fits his character or whether it somehow makes sense.
Yes they did introduce the victim, but his character didn't make any sense. He doesn't like V-M's curtains, so he steals his pet guinea-pig keeps it alive and well in his apartment for many days (although he intensely despises all rodents that thinks them to be a hygiene risk) then stays awake every evening to wait that Veli-Matti will come home staggering drunk. Then he fulfils his masterplan: comes down to the front door, puts the guinea pig in a shopping bag and kills the poor rodent. supposedly all this to send Veli-Matti some message. The director gives two clues to explain the behaviour of the neighbor: lives still with his mom, speaks like latent homosexual stereotype.
So Veli-Matti kills the neighbour and drags his corpse to the woods. Yes. Great stuff. A touching story of a man going through a difficult divorce is abruptly interrupted by idiotic "Frozen Land" stunt in which the main character changes from a sympathetic guy into a murderous maniac. (because of alcohol-consumption.) for no reason and all.
All is left is a pointless epilogue in which Veli-Matti is in prison. the epilogue is pretty good stuff. something like the first half of the movie, but we don't care anymore because we lost contact with the characters already. Thank you mr. Louhimies I really was at first fooled into thinking that this was a story in which the characters lead the way and determined the outcome. But once again you wanted to tell the story of drunken people committing random homicides. you don't need character-development or motives if the characters are drunk while doing whatever they are doing.
seven points. all for the beginning.
The White City
Mart-137 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
The title, "White City" (as translated from Finnish) alludes to everything being white and then suddenly I got the idea of a whitewash.
The film is rare in handling divorce and child custody issues from a father's perspective, where husbands and fathers are treated unfairly by the society, the legal system and their ex-wives.
It depicts all the small injustices of the world, which the protagonist, Velimatti, is continuously subjected to. It shows to tell that legally, everything appears to be all-right, while all the protagonist feels is injustice, given for his penchant to trust the world.
Hope may appear in the end, in the last shot, while appearing cold and bleak, refers to a light at the end of the tunnel. Velimatti, whilst secluded from the rest of the world, is also protected from it. And himself.
We don't know what happens next. The hope is that the children will still remember their father and will visit him in their adulthood.
The White City depicts the worst-case scenario of what may be the result of a societal and legal system with bias against a divorce respondent.
The film is rare in handling divorce and child custody issues from a father's perspective, where husbands and fathers are treated unfairly by the society, the legal system and their ex-wives.
It depicts all the small injustices of the world, which the protagonist, Velimatti, is continuously subjected to. It shows to tell that legally, everything appears to be all-right, while all the protagonist feels is injustice, given for his penchant to trust the world.
Hope may appear in the end, in the last shot, while appearing cold and bleak, refers to a light at the end of the tunnel. Velimatti, whilst secluded from the rest of the world, is also protected from it. And himself.
We don't know what happens next. The hope is that the children will still remember their father and will visit him in their adulthood.
The White City depicts the worst-case scenario of what may be the result of a societal and legal system with bias against a divorce respondent.
Frozen Feelings
native_girl33319 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
"Frozen City" (Finnish name "Valkoinen kaupunki" is based on one of the stories of a Finnish TV-series "Irtiottoja" written by Mikko Kouki and Paavo Westerberg.
Veli-Matti (Janne Virtanen) is a taxi-driver and a typical Finnish family-man. When his wife Hanna (brilliant Susanna Anteroinen) leaves Veli-Matti and their three children Veli-Matti faces the hard reality when he has to work and take care of his little children. When Hanna returns all things go off the rail. Suddenly Veli-Matti loses his family and is left with struggle to get his old life back.
The story is very realistic and can easily be fitted for many families. The winter reflects the frozen situation beautifully and it is very symbolic.
I have to give special mention to the neighbor played by Juha Veijonen. The character represents the nasty side of the coin when it comes to the neighbor-relations. The character gave me the creeps.
In the year 2007 movie won 7 Jussi-statues which is an Finnish equivalent for the Academy Awards. The performances of Janne Virtanen and Susanna Anteroinen were recognized with this honor which were very well earned.
Aku Louhimies directed again a drama where the reality is very present.The story has even somewhat repugnantly realistic features. The movie is positively depressing because it makes put your own life under the microscope.
Although the subject is so heavy the ending gives some hope that maybe the future will be somewhat brighter. You wish that Veli-Matti got a new start in his life.
Veli-Matti (Janne Virtanen) is a taxi-driver and a typical Finnish family-man. When his wife Hanna (brilliant Susanna Anteroinen) leaves Veli-Matti and their three children Veli-Matti faces the hard reality when he has to work and take care of his little children. When Hanna returns all things go off the rail. Suddenly Veli-Matti loses his family and is left with struggle to get his old life back.
The story is very realistic and can easily be fitted for many families. The winter reflects the frozen situation beautifully and it is very symbolic.
I have to give special mention to the neighbor played by Juha Veijonen. The character represents the nasty side of the coin when it comes to the neighbor-relations. The character gave me the creeps.
In the year 2007 movie won 7 Jussi-statues which is an Finnish equivalent for the Academy Awards. The performances of Janne Virtanen and Susanna Anteroinen were recognized with this honor which were very well earned.
Aku Louhimies directed again a drama where the reality is very present.The story has even somewhat repugnantly realistic features. The movie is positively depressing because it makes put your own life under the microscope.
Although the subject is so heavy the ending gives some hope that maybe the future will be somewhat brighter. You wish that Veli-Matti got a new start in his life.
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