In this acclaimed comedy (nominated for Best Makeup and Best Director - Jussi Awards 2014), we can see that every country gets the hero is deserves. But we also see that this is not quite as funny as we expect because some serious issues come up. BTW, I was amused to see seven Olympic rings at the meet, isn't the symbol five rings? ...just a thought...
We see:
- Martti Suosalo is Toivo, our patriotic man...or not...who feels that being a jobless drunk is better than just being jobless. The abundant hemoglobin in his blood delivers oxygen to the cells. Untreated, it killed his father in his 40s, but there is an effective treatment now.
- Pamela Tola is Aino, who skis for the team and needs a bit of a boost. Toivo's O-Positive blood is just the ticket. She is pretty pragmatic about it, which reflects the attitude of her coach.
This is not predictable, and that's a good thing, but it was hard to find someone to root for. Unfortunately that is one of my primary needs when I view a film. And the ending is unsettling.