Finnish Gala: Nightborn
A couple (Seidi Haarla and Rupert Grint) move deep into the forest and have the child they’ve always dreamed of. The film, which premiered at Berlinale, explores the dark side of a mother’s love.
Nightborn, selected for the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival, is further evidence of the new international appeal of Finnish cinema. The film was among the contenders for the Golden Bear in the festival’s most prestigious section, the Competition. Only two other Finnish films have received the same distinction this millennium: Aki Kaurismäki’s The Other Side of Hope (R&A 2017) and Petri Kotwica’s Black Ice (R&A 2007).
Finnish Saga (Seidi Haarla) and British Jon (Rupert Grint) move to Finland, settling in a ramshackle house in the middle of the forest. The couple dream of starting a family, and their wish comes true once they have escaped into the embrace of nature. But Saga sees something in her child that no one else can see: the baby seems to have a taste for blood and flesh. Is Saga right, or has she been driven mad by isolation?
Drawing on Finnish nature mythology, this psychological family thriller sees director Hanna Bergholm return to themes familiar from her debut feature Hatching, exploring family life in contemporary society. When idyllic visions of family life are put to the test, viewers are invited to reflect on parenthood and its challenges. The Finns’ supposedly distinctive relationship with nature also comes under critical scrutiny. What happens when a seemingly safe environment turns into a source of torment?
Juho Lipponen (translated by Mira Liimatainen)
Screenings
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Bio Rex LasipalatsiWed 23.9. at 18.00–19.3292 min, 1/2Guests present: Hanna Bergholm, Seidi Haarla, Ilja Rautsi, Eicca Toppinen
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Cinema OrionWed 23.9. at 19.00–20.3292 min, 2/2Guests present: Hanna Bergholm, Seidi Haarla, Ilja Rautsi, Eicca Toppinen
Trailer
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