Contrary to what the other reviewer said, Monte Rosso has nothing to do with afro-American cultural influences in Finland. It is part hipster, part slacker and truly Helsinkian film, incomprehensible to those born outside of Finland's capital.
While I agree that the film lacked depth, it seems to be a conscious choice. Characters are supposed to be over the top, more-hipster-than-thou, speaking in Stadin Slangi more than anyone in Helsinki and the story is supposed to be feel-good fun. On the other hand, actors and their characters are in some way very believable. Their manner of speech, for example, is very natural when in most films even if characters are speaking in a distinct dialect, they never use expletives nor sound anything natural when they open their mouth. And were not the circumstances so unusual, it would precisely portray how some young adults spend their summer weekends in Helsinki.
Besides that, images of Helsinki are astonishing. They capture the essence of the city better than any tourist postcards.
The plot itself, by the way, tells us about a twenty-something Eki, who has realized that he can't stay out of the rat race forever. Every week, he works hard in a local restaurant to pay his rent but every weekend he spends in a nearby park (Sinebrychoff Park), smoking pot and drinking cold beer with his equally laid back friends. This weekend, however, his plans fall apart with his bike and pot being stolen and with him ending up in trouble with an unpredictable fence and his bodybuilder friends. And then there's this gorgeous girl he meets in Koff park...
While I agree that the film lacked depth, it seems to be a conscious choice. Characters are supposed to be over the top, more-hipster-than-thou, speaking in Stadin Slangi more than anyone in Helsinki and the story is supposed to be feel-good fun. On the other hand, actors and their characters are in some way very believable. Their manner of speech, for example, is very natural when in most films even if characters are speaking in a distinct dialect, they never use expletives nor sound anything natural when they open their mouth. And were not the circumstances so unusual, it would precisely portray how some young adults spend their summer weekends in Helsinki.
Besides that, images of Helsinki are astonishing. They capture the essence of the city better than any tourist postcards.
The plot itself, by the way, tells us about a twenty-something Eki, who has realized that he can't stay out of the rat race forever. Every week, he works hard in a local restaurant to pay his rent but every weekend he spends in a nearby park (Sinebrychoff Park), smoking pot and drinking cold beer with his equally laid back friends. This weekend, however, his plans fall apart with his bike and pot being stolen and with him ending up in trouble with an unpredictable fence and his bodybuilder friends. And then there's this gorgeous girl he meets in Koff park...
