MOVIES IN SOCKS

I somehow ended at the opening night of Suomalaisen nykyelokuvan viikko, The Week of Contemporary Finnish Film. First I was in doubts, should I go at all since I had to make a sacrifice on behalf of one Finnish movie. Errr... I really needed to go out, I feel like getting crazy, being fed up just perfectly with everything. I have been into my thesis, it is heavy; for some reasons these very final meters before one reaches the goal seems the hardest to survive... by all means. I am neither the first nor the last person dealing with final thesis in this time and world, but still.Finally, I sorta got over yesterday's sorrow, I put myself together a bit, and went there.

It seemed that mostly the Finns living here had come to see the movie. Finns or Slovenians attached to Finland from several different reasons. Both missing Finland from several different reasons (more or less), both being (more or less) happy there is something Finnish to see and hear. Okay, if we forget the endless possibilities of internet and the astonishing DVD technology.

Kalle wrote me like the Finns feel prejudices about their movies; they prefer foreign products. The situation seems the same as when Slovenians meet Slovenian movies. Our audience as it would be far more critical towards our own film; still it is true Slovenian movies have gained some more required qualities as late as only few years ago. However, there is a sense of quite big development, and I could speculate Slovenian film will gain more success in the future. Well, financial support is yet another story.

Anyway, this Finnish movie itself was nothing too special. Lapsia ja aikuisia - kuinka niitä tehdään, translated into Making Adoults. Sort of a bitter comedy on relationships; when it comes to Finnish humor, I have noticed it caries seeds of bitterness quite often... am I right? However, after some funny as well as bitter moments, two women friends find out they are actually in love with eachother. Sweet indeed.

That was the movie. Then, the mingling part started. The most interesting part of the evening. So at one point I found myself, pretty much relaxed, chatting in Finnish with some young Finns on languages. Yep, Slovenian is hard to learn; for us too. Or how one can unexpectedly meet Finns everywhere, just like I keep bumping into Slovenians in some weird places (in the middle of Icelandic nowhere, for instance). Or latter, what the fuck is all about those slippers? Well, Slovenians seem keen on using slippers, while Finns do not; they prefer woolen socks. And that the real Finnish man, so the one who really is a man, rides a bike rather than travelling on a bus (bike rules, yes indeed). However, I was very much surprised with that short moment when I realised I had actually been chatting in Finnish - relaxed, as it would be English. Despite the fact I can still encounter problems when it comes uppon the dialect of Turku.

Now to end this boasting - there will be like a row of fresh Finnish movies here to see. No Aki Kaurismäki this time, yet the name Kaurismäki is the main trademark when discussing contemporary Finnish film. Perhaps I will write another, more ''theoretical'' post on Finnish movies (Kaurismäki included) at the end of this short festival. Nevertheless the latest Kaurismäki will be seen here within a month. International Ljubljana Film Festival LIFFE will present Laitakaupungin valot, Lights at the Edge of the City, on the 21st of November. Until then, just click the title of this post... as well as enjoy the very short explanation below.

ELOKUVA -> movie, film (what else)

elo -> life, zivljenje (more ''poetic'', usually elämä)

kuva -> picture, slika