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Aku Louhimies' tough and fearless [Frozen Land] was inspired by Leo Tolstoy's short story [Faux Billet], in which mischance is passed from one person to another. It thus finds a peer in Robert Bresson's 1983 [L'Argent], also inspired by [Faux Billet]. Cleaning up at Gothenburg Film Festival, including the Best Nordic Film, [Frozen Land] delves into the territory of courage, consequence and survival.
Set in contemporary Helsinki, the crisply paced, episodic [Frozen Land] comprises three overlapping stories, the disparate characters of which share a common destiny as a counterfeit banknote touches their lives. Pertti, an out of work schoolteacher, spirals into alcoholism and drives his son, Niko, from the home. Niko prints a 50-euro note on his hacker-buddy's computer and it ends up in the hands of dim-witted Isto. When he attempts to pass on the note, Isto is collared by the law. Things turn bad for him and others as the dirty note combines with coincidence to multiply mischance and deliver tragic fate.
"[Frozen Land] diverges from both its Tolstoy source and its Bressonian cousin to venture into weirder, more nihilistic territory." - Variety
Contains scenes that may offend some viewers --- D Aku Louhimies P Markus Selin S Paavo Westergerg, Jari Rantala, Aku Louhimies WS Solar Films Inc. L Finnish w/English subtitles TD 35mm/col/2004/130mins
Aku Louhimies was born in Finland in 1968. His films include [Lovers and Leavers] (2002), [Restless] (2000).
