Little Wing (2016) Poster

(2016)

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7/10
When one parent's failing, the kid needs another.
Reno-Rangan24 March 2017
This is the second Finnish film for me in a week. '...Olli Maki' was a sport-biopic, but this one is a simple fictional drama. All woman team, watching it on the occasion around Women's day make it a special. The story was not impressive enough. Lacks the originality, but overall decently made film.

A coming-of-age theme that tells about Varpu who just turned 12. She lives with her mother, who is a character of underage. There's nothing bad about her, but she feels the world is a very complicated place and complaints a lot like a tween for even small small things.

Since the Varpu is growing up fast, thinks her mother is failing to handle a girl like her age. So that leads her to look for her dad who she had never seen before. A little adventure on that, followed by issues surrounding it, how she overcomes and put her life back one track are the remaining parts to reveal us.

Anybody who had seen the handsome of films in their life would think this film is just okay. That's true, yet I won't say it was a bad attempt. In fact, in some of the parts, the story won't advance as you think. The writing was neat, except lags a bit often, but that did not cause any annoyance.

The entire story was told from a teenager's perspective, yet very matured from the contents wise. Like the tough decision to venture is to clear the doubts once and for all. What she discovered did not surprise as that's how her life had been so far. She's been with her mother all her life, so it was particularly to learn about her father.

❝She was so sweet and wise right from the start. Now she's dying or suffering somewhere, because I'm so retarded.❞

There's no way the film could have been better than this. Because the message was nicely conveyed. Altering that would have given a different film, which is not the notion, I believe. Especially a girl who discovers what her parents truly are, I mean their capacity. Clearly her life begins onwards to be an adult in early age.

The casting was so good. The three looked like an average real family. It was done without much hype. Like, you know, the mystery of dad was solved after some dramatic twist, but everything was kept within the limits. Especially most of the viewers would be looking for the Varpu's driving skill which they think could influence to bring a twist in the tale. But what follows is a twist to our anticipation. By the way the girl was excellent. I think she will be a fine actress.

The clichés were not overused, instead it was used to shape up the story in its diversions. Whenever the narration reached its dead end, the following events quickly hops on a new path with fresh developments. This happened, particularly on two major occasions in which the first was after finding her dad and the next was after knowing his true identity.

At that point, the film was almost done narrating the tale. Only finishing touch with little explanation was given on a few things. It is a good conclusion and quite enjoyable overall film. So I think the film's not for everyone. This is especially for those watches with admiration like with enthusiasm than those who watch it for no reason and interest. In simple words, for film fanatics and family audience. I said lots of positives, so you might think I would recommend it highly, but I won't. Instead, semi-recommended for overall readers.

7/10
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7/10
Overcame my reservations
stephen-62420 July 2017
Billed in Australia as 'Coming of Age', usually a turn-off for me. Saw it anyway, one does get a little reckless down here, you know.

The first reel didn't dispel my misgivings, but it came home well after that, showing unexpected nuance, including the character of the girl's troubled father.

Nice showing by Skog, acting out the difficult brief of a girl supposed to be 'wise beyond her years'. I'm not surprised some of the other girls became her real-life friends.

I was sufficiently OK that I'd try out other movies by this director.
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8/10
A real coming of age movie
takomapk6 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Most "coming of age" movies really mean "let's watch pretend teens having sex." Not here. This is a 12 year old with a loving single mom, perhaps with mild Asperger's, reaching out for more support. What she finds after a 600km journey is a father with plenty of problems of his own.

The point is made that her horse riding training has given her the self confidence (perhaps a little too much as regards cars) to keep going. Her father's breakdown is terrifying but believable.

Sorry guys: no boobs, no explosions. Just a believable and determined girl trying to build her life in a place far away from the setting of most movies.
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9/10
In Search of Her Past
Minnesota_Reid30 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I was surprised by the other very negative user reviews. I'm not a softy for kid's films. Often the most you can hope for from a kids' film is that they not be tedious for an adult to endure. I've seen several this film festival that fall in this category -- Mr Frog, or Belle and Sebastian II. (And they were far better than Tesoros, which I slept through.) But Little Wing worked for me. Maybe I was just in the right mood, who knows.

The main character, 12 year old Varpu (Finnish for "little wing", from a Jimi Hendrix song) has a single mom. Mom's nice, but depressed and inattentive, and gets more mothering from Varpu than she provides to Varpu.

Varpu eventually goes on a quest to find her missing father, and to understand why her parents got together and why they couldn't stay together.
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10/10
A star is born. great story telling
rubyxxi12 October 2022
The movie is stunning on location, the soundtrack transports you to this young girl's world, Her journey is about finding out who she is, where she comes from, and to feel connection. One night Varpu spontaneously goes on a date with a boy her age (she is 12 years old approx) in the middle of the night ,after not being able to sleep, He teaches her to drive in a stolen car but expects more of her than she is willing to give. Anybody would go back home, jump in bed, before being found out. This young girl, however, decides to go on a road trip alone, in search of her identity. Linnea Skog deserves an Oscar for her interpretation of this beautiful unassuming character. The writer, Selma Vilhunen, did a beautiful job developing the main character Varpu (the young girl) and directing this film about human connection.
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1/10
Boring movie
kodinkone27 October 2016
(I'm sorry for my bad English) I can describe this movie in one sentence: This a movie which doesn't take any risks. It was really boring cinematicly and story... well, nothing special. This movie is not original in any way. It's a movie for womens.

Is that drama that we see the mother crying over her child and then we see that the child is doing alright. Is that dramatic in any way? I didn't cry nor laugh. It was just weird.'And when the mother cries to her child, it's has shown as a comic relief like what is this?? Why director wants to make sad things funny but when he want's to make people cry, there is nothing for cry about because the child is doing fine.

There is one thing that I like this movie and that is that the schizophrenia was showed really mature way.

It was not a bad movie but me, person who watches over 200 movies in a year, it was not speciall in any way.
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8/10
Awesome movie
saanakirjonen28 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I really don't understand people giving so bad reviews to this movie.

The fact that this young girl has to be so mature cause her mother isn't is sad. Even if the girl doesn't really cry, doesn't mean she can't hurt inside. Yes, nothing really awful happened to her in the beginning of the movie but the fact her mother wasn't acting like a grown up, instead the girl had to be strong for her mother and listen to all her worries. Even if adults have worries or depression, it's never child's job to comfort them.

And there was also the girls that were mean to her at the stables and her mother never asked how was her day. So their roles go all wrong, the young girl seems to be more grown up than her mother.

And when she had a birthday, which is a big thing at her age, her mother totally forgot that too cause she was so caught up in her own life and her new bf.

Yet another thing, her mother never told her anything about her father, even tho she asked. It's important to tell a child why their other parent is absent. She probably wouldn't have left to search her father if her mother would've told her about him and she could have arranged them a meeting if the girl wanted to see him.

And the fact she found out her father has schizophrenia in the way she did, instead of her mother giving her a heads up so it wouldn't be a shocking suprise. So her father ruining her competition and embarrassing her cause everyone think he's drunk or something. And when he started to speak with those voices in his heads, the girl was so scared cause she couldn't understand what was happening.

Being near to person in psychosis can be really scary, even if you know about schizophrenia cause their behaviour is very unpredictable.

In the end I just wanna say I really enjoyed the movie, cause I really understand this characters as a single mother who has had depression and also I haven't always been parenting enough and it has affected my child. I'm also a nurse and I have seen people with schizophrenia in my work. Only thing that didn't feel likely was how fast this young girl learned to drive a car.
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2/10
After seeing movie I have to say this
huupolli30 October 2016
I heard that the producer of this film says, that it is like French new wave but in Finland. I laughed so hard when I heard that. Has he even seen the films of French new wave? I doubt that because this film is not that good, not in a thousand years. This was a movie that anybody could have made. There was no originality, no bravery, no risk had been made. This movies is a movie that you forget in a week at most. I saw it last night and I can't remember anything specific thing because there were nothing interesting. It was just talking heads, that's it.

If you look that how people have rated this movie in this platform, 16 people have rated this movie 10/10. That's insane. That means that 16 people thinks this movie is best movie ever been made. But probably 16 beings doesn't remember anything about this movie in a next month.
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2/10
Story of a girl, who doesn't care of her mother but
hukaak30 October 2016
I hate that stereotype that women directors just make movies for women. Well... it happens in this case. I'm man and very sensual type of man and believe me, I cry almost every movie I watch but this one... This movie was so bland that I couldn't cry. I mean come on. The girl didn't react to anything in anyway. In fact, there were so little that happened to her. She learned to drive a car just in a few training sessions. She was doing great in everything she did. Her mother had panic attacks but she didn't care. She was selfish and wanted to find her father. And when the mother cried, it was comical. I mean wtf is that?

In the audience there were only older women crying and for what? "Because this is a story of a little girl who grew up and" Shut up. That's a easy way to make people feel something. It is like a jump scare in horror movies.

This movie tries to be something great but in reality, it was boring and colourless. No imagination whatsoever
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