Finnish director Ulla Heikkilä cast the “best actors she could imagine” for her second feature, “Summer is Crazy,” which stars “Fallen Leaves” star Jussi Vatanen, Aamu Milonoff (“Girl Picture”), Jani Volanen (“Hatching”), Pirjo Lonka and Bruno Baer (“Light Light Light”).
“They brought their best to the table. It is a luxury to work with such intelligent, skilled and charismatic actors. They are all very good at showing the human condition in a bold and ‘naked’ way,” he said. Variety.
In the upcoming film “Summer is Crazy,” set in the Finnish archipelago during the week of the summer solstice, a family, as well as their friends and lovers, face disappointments and dream of a better tomorrow.
After their fine dining restaurant goes bankrupt, the Eerola family finds themselves trapped in a seaside town. In the shadow of the father’s depression, both mother and teenage daughter rebel against their stagnant life, each in their own way.
“I play a man who doesn’t really know how to be a father, but loves being one. If you try to be a role model for someone you don’t know at all, it creates weird, funny and tragic moments,” Vatanen said, stressing that everyone “brought their own flavor to this touching but slightly frenetic summer party.”
Before working with Aki Kaurismäki, Vatanen had become a household name thanks to the popular “Lapland Odyssey” franchise.
Summer is crazy
Credit: Sami Kuokkanen
“What’s the secret to making comedies? I don’t want to know! I’d start exploiting it,” he laughs.
“There may be some silliness to this character, and others too, but Ulla set the tone so perfectly that I didn’t consider it ‘silly’. It seemed like life itself. I really loved how she combined the perspectives of different age groups in a believable and funny way.”
Produced by Marja Pihlaja for Tekele Productions“Summer is Crazy” was presented in the industry section of New Nordic Films in Haugesund together with Suvi West’s first feature-length fiction film, “Máttáráhká”, produced by Julia Elomäki and currently in development.
“Tekele presented three films in different categories and this has never happened before here in Haugesund,” said Elomäki, also mentioning the screening of Jenni Toivoniemi’s “Butterflies” at the market.
The more the merrier, according to Heikkilä, who already faced a larger cast in his first feature film, “Eden”.
“I have said, jokingly, that I came to this earth to tell stories with multiple narratives. But maybe it wasn’t a joke after all! Even as a child, I was still drawing pictures of large families and groups of people. I guess I am interested in the multitude of perspectives as a way of looking at the world, both as an artist and as a human being. Witnessing the same situation, or simply looking at life through different eyes, is fascinating to me,” she explained.
Preparing for the summer solstice celebrations – “the idyllic landscape provides a stark contrast to these unhappy people. Plus, traditions, parties and holidays tend to bring unwanted things to the surface” – their characters have to deal with a lot. From an affair with a charismatic boss to teenage angst, the loss of a lifelong dream or even a brief pop career that ended 20 years ago.
“I love them, but they are also a little annoying,” she said, admitting that the film’s melancholy took her by surprise.
“Sometimes it’s sad and that made me me “It was also very sad. I guess it was a challenge, at least on a personal level. Luckily, it’s also fun and hopeful, so I didn’t have to cry myself to sleep every night.”
“Summer is Crazy” is set to premiere in 2025.