I don't know a word of finnish, but with this movie I learned two words: "Äideistä parhain" ("Mother of Mine"). Whenever the boy calls for his mother he says "äiti" (or is it "äidi"?). Then "parhain" means "of mine". Perhaps "Äideistä" means "mothers" (in the plural)? Now, my summary says «One son. Two mothers». That's exactly what I mean. One son because the boy is an only child. Two mothers because there are two in fact: the biological and the foster. That's exactly the point. Despite being "another" Holocaust movie, it doesn't focus so much on the World War II but more in such things as what it's like to be in and out of family.
The boy, Eero, is orphan of father but has his life with his mother. In 1943, his mother sends him to Sweden as a refugee. History tells that more than 70.000 finnish children were sent to Sweden as refugees during that time.
Eero doesn't understand why his mother is abandoning him. He feels bad in a country he doesn't know, with a language he doesn't talk, with people he is unfamiliar with and his anger makes him cold and hostile. Even the "new mother" doesn't want him and is very hard and bitter on him. Eventually things change, even if just because circumstances leave them with no choice. Upon his real mother's return when the war is over, Eero wants to stay with the foster mother.
A reasonable movie, if flawed. It's a little boring and not very involving, although it does capture the attention until the ending. I don't like certain things, such as the "present-day" parts. For some reason, I just don't like that in movies. To compensate, the story is decent (although with margin for improvement), the cinematography is typically nordic, the actors are talented and the atmosphere is faithful to reality.
The boy, Eero, is orphan of father but has his life with his mother. In 1943, his mother sends him to Sweden as a refugee. History tells that more than 70.000 finnish children were sent to Sweden as refugees during that time.
Eero doesn't understand why his mother is abandoning him. He feels bad in a country he doesn't know, with a language he doesn't talk, with people he is unfamiliar with and his anger makes him cold and hostile. Even the "new mother" doesn't want him and is very hard and bitter on him. Eventually things change, even if just because circumstances leave them with no choice. Upon his real mother's return when the war is over, Eero wants to stay with the foster mother.
A reasonable movie, if flawed. It's a little boring and not very involving, although it does capture the attention until the ending. I don't like certain things, such as the "present-day" parts. For some reason, I just don't like that in movies. To compensate, the story is decent (although with margin for improvement), the cinematography is typically nordic, the actors are talented and the atmosphere is faithful to reality.