Reviews

I saw this on DVD with English subtitles (my Finnish is very limited).

Levottomat (The Restless) explores what happens when a wild card is introduced into a circle of friends, follow the mirth and merriment as Ari, a young medical doctor, weaves a path of emotional destruction amongst a group of six student friends in Turku.

The period covers a few months in Ari's life: his mother is terminally ill, he is unwilling or unable to make any emotional ties with any of his one night stands, then he meets Tiina... and her friends.

There are many aspects of Finnish life which are seen in this film, the drinking, Juhannus (midsummer), summer cottages, sauna culture etc., young people lacking experience in relationships... all of which are peculiar to the Nordic countries. You also see people in their mid-20s gallivanting around like freshers... Finland is not only a land of the midnight Sun, but also the land of the eternal student.

Be warned, there is a large amount of nudity and sex in this film, which to most people would seem pornographic, really it's not, well not all of it... Finns have a rather unique outlook on the naked body, perhaps due to their Sauna culture.

Well worth watching.

Whilst the rest of Europe was getting started on WWII, Finland and Russia had the "Talvisota" or Winter war with the Soviet Union. It lasted less than 3 months, but was continued with the "Continuation war", confusing if you didn't know about the Winter war. Eventually Finland lost much of Karelia and most significantly Viipuri (Vyborg in Swedish or Russian) one of Finland's largest cities.

The conflict took place in the dead of winter, the Finns were poorly equipped, but managed to hold their own against a numerically superior aggressor. The horror and violence of warfare probably cannot be reproduced on film, but this film does it better than most.

Talvisota follows what happened to two brothers who volunteered to defend their country...