Euthanizer (2017) User Reviews

Good simple strong idea

[claudiadarian · 8/10 · 5 March 2018]

This is a dark short incursion into the dark side of the human nature. Veijo is a haunted older guy who takes upon himself to pay retribution to those who hurt animals, according to his own understanding of how karma works. He is fair and relentless, he doesn't make excuses and he often gives lesson to those who deserve them, in one way or another. He has his own moral code: you need to take accountability for the pain and hurt you caused others, and if you don't you must be obliged. He considers that those people who are aggressive they are lost, they don't know their place under the sun, they are lost and with no purpose or understanding of their lives, so they hurt others because they have no identity, no inner core, no resilience inside them. He takes the role of a euthanizer in his conflict with a lost soul, excellently played by Jari Virman, only to end up dealing with his own karma.

Later we find out that Veijo himself is a troubled soul, through the strain relationship with his father. Good circular script, with good lines and a strong character, well played by Matti Onnismaa.

Plain simple. "Euthanizer" is an extraordinary flick.

[peterp-450-298716 · 7/10 · 24 July 2018]

"Everyone has to pay for the pain that they've caused. Pain needs to be balanced."

Every detail was just perfect in this Finnish low-budget indie. From the first second, this film intrigued me and managed to hold my full attention. Not only the magnificent acting of Matti Onnismaa and Hannamaija Nikander, as the bitter and sinister person Veijo and the strange figure Lotta whose sexual preference is also rather lugubrious, caused that. The narrative and the message that simmered under the surface also fascinated me. Yet it's not an easy, everyday film. On the one hand, there's the language. Finnish isn't something I'm confronted with on a daily basis (well, for everything there's a first time), so I understood absolutely nothing. On the other hand, the story itself is rather unorthodox with the euthanizing of pets as a central topic. Not exactly cheerful material, even though it sometimes felt comical.

Veijo is the local freelancer who offers his services to help pets out of their misery in an inexpensive way. He's, therefore, a not so well-liked competitor of the local veterinarian. To be honest, nobody likes him. Veijo thus creates its own Pet Sematary. Dogs are simply shot in an adjacent forest, after which their necklace is dangling from a branch as the only remembrance. Cats and other minuscule creatures from the animal kingdom are gassed in a pimped station wagon. A cat carrier graveyard next to his meager shed is the final result. The first ten minutes alone made it clear an extraordinary film was presented to me.

Euthanizer is a film about pain and suffering. And according to Veijo, pain needs to be balanced. And that's something this pipe-smoking anti-social person applies in his life. Also on himself. The owners who bring their sick, disobedient or simply annoying pets can expect a psychological analysis first. Veijo apparently has the gift of being a dog whisperer. And some of those owners get a similar treatment as their pet. In the same way, he approaches his dying and suffering father, an alcoholic who apparently treated Veijo very badly and brutal during his childhood.

The moment Lotta enters Veijo's life, a life in which human contact is quite an obstacle for Veijo, I can vividly imagine his confusion about his feelings towards her and at the same time about her reasonably perverted fantasy. The reason why she feels attracted to Veijo was unclear to me. Was his aloofness or morbid profession something she related to? Or did she have suicidal thoughts for herself? Is she fascinated by death in a macabre way? It was a mystery to me. But they certainly go down in history as the most bizarre couple.

The weakest element in the whole film was for me the would-be Finnish neo-Nazi club "Soldiers of Finland". Notwithstanding that Petri (Jari Virman), who is only too keen to be part of this gang of jackasses, has an important part in the denouement, I thought it was a laughable fact. Apart from stealing some car tires and some provocative behavior, they seem far from being dangerous. And when they are singing as four choir boys for a karaoke machine, the image of these pseudo machos changes into purebred sissies. There's even one of them who can't control his emotions during that musical moment.

Euthanizer is a cruel and filthy film. Filthy in multiple ways. A film that shows how cruel people can be. A film with contradictions as well. Gasifying animals with the exhaust fumes of an old station wagon is, in my opinion, not a peaceful and pleasant way. And yet Veijo is an animal lover who wants to put these poor creatures out of their misery. Euthanizer is breathtaking. A gem. Fans of small-budget non-mainstream films will enjoy this. I did for sure.

Treat your pets as you would yourself

[EnoVarma · 7/10 · 17 March 2018]

A small, confined and precisely executed movie about an emotionally scarred middle-aged man, who euthanizes pets - and judges their owners while doing it. It's sort of missing the point to call Armomurhaaja a thriller; at its core Armomurhaaja is a comedy, a very, very dark comedy about moral relativism and purism. Topics that are visited in movies way too rarely. Armomurhaaja is the bluntest examination on morality seen on the silver screen in ages. And a successful one at that. Actor Onnismaa's cantankerous, unrelenting, uncompromising, stubborn and anachronistic character demands to be taken seriously, because he will not sell out his values, and makes a convincing argument that his values - while not his methods - should be universal values.

The experienced Teemu Nikki is an original thinker, and knows how to make movies. Armomurhaaja looks about five times its budget (the IMDb estimated production cost is, if anything, an over-estimation) and is told in a sure-footed manner. It is also the best friend an animal, a pet, can have in the cinemaverse.

dark simplicity

[Kirpianuscus · 23 June 2018]

Not a comfortable film. but an useful one. for simplicity. for dark traces. for a story about a man, his passion , options and life. a parable. or just a form of fairy tale. a film about the essence of humankind. and about choices. about pets, life and karma. and about curses . and the need of equilibrium. and about hate. against yourself. the best thing - maybe the performances. and the rhytm of story. and the details of plot. because it is a film about meanings. and answers. defining the most deep solitude. a support of reflection. about near basic things.

It's all about karma

[deloudelouvain · 6/10 · 5 July 2018]

This was probably my first Finnish movie that I watched and it wasn't bad. It was a bit weird sometimes but the story is good enough to keep you entertained. It's a bit hard though, certainly if you're an animal lover like myself, and even if you know that no animals got hurt whilst making this movie, it still remains a bit hard to watch at times. The message of the movie is just karma, and karma is a bitch. Don't do to others what you don't want to happen to yourself, that's basically it. Matti Onnismaa, I never heared about him before, gave a good performance playing the euthanizer/vigilante. It's a bit dark, a bit slow, but that's how the character is so the movie portrays him perfectly. Not bad to watch once.

My Review Of "Euthanizer"

[ASouthernHorrorFan · 8/10 · 1 August 2018]

The story is a bizarre mixture of blunt-force exploration of everyday life, and disturbing behavior bordering on cruelty. Teemu Nikki manages to humanize and rationalize his dark, disenfranchised characters, while pushing the limits of likability with ease. At times hard to watch, especially for the animal lover, "Euthanizer" touches ground in experimental, exploitative states. There is balance and breath, if only slightly, in a cast able bring to life fully developed characters that feel natural.

The effects are stark, visceralmoments of realism that cause knee-jerk "look away" urges. There is dark sense that lingers over every moment that tickles at shock value simply by experiencing the events asthey unfold. The subject matter and in-your -face cruelty create the real horror.

Overall "Euthanizer" is gonna be one of those films you either like or you hate. It blends the darkside of everyday affair in arthouse fashion. The story disturbing and compelling. Characters are recognizable and easy to hate.The things you see unfold are harsh and hard to watch, but it is worth the watch

Heavy from Light.

[Nemesis42 · 8/10 · 1 November 2018]

Certainly original with a permutation of genres throughout that leaves this not yielding to any one definition. Dark yes, comedic yes, beautifully European. Some will cringe, some will laugh. Involves some human and animal trauma, be warned, though all of it justified in the films universe by the philosophy of a character. I wont be forgetting about this film, though I wish I did not watch it, pretty heavy and gnarly in places. Humor this dark, for me, is more dark than humorous. I must be getting old !! :)

Dark and Wacky Comedy

[Blue-Grotto · 5/10 · 26 September 2017]

Euthanizing a pet is a painful and awful process. Some people are wary of taking their pet to a veterinarian for this service. This is where Veijo steps in. He provides a pet euthanizing service that is outside the scope of the law as well as professional standards. Customers get what they pay for. Veijo's price is a sliding scale. The better Veijo believes the customer cares for their pet, the better the price. The toll goes beyond money and into the realm of karmic retribution. Veijo believes that people need to suffer for the pain they cause. Those who do not take responsibility for their animals are subject to biting lectures, insults, price increases, violence and other odd penalties. When it becomes apparent that Veijo's blunt, impulsive and harmful behavior is not limited to his customers, the wheels of true karma and justice begin to churn.

This dark and wacky comedy is a welcome antidote to the neutered and boring slop that pervades much of the airwaves and networks of the world. The story, characters and themes are refreshing and intriguing. However, the film could benefit from more depth and support across the board; dialogue, cinematography, plot, organization, funding and more. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival.

a interesting and very artistic movie

[gabidragomir · 10/10 · 6 March 2018]

This movie indeed surprised us, my girlfriend and I gave it a try.

Indeed it is worth it, it starts a bit slowly but if you give this film a change you will not feel disappointing.

It has some main motives: the Buddhist path, the karma, the animals that suffer and especially the humans that suffer.

It is a deep movie with very serious religious and spiritual ideas.

Give it a try! try to understand the main character who is a very vigilante person.

This is an art film !

Loved the first half of the movie, the rest not so much

[ommik · 4/10 · 7 September 2018]

The movie started off as funny, sad and smart (which is my favourite combination). However, towards the end it turned into a standard vengeance story and checked almost every cliche box possible.

Sad to say that I'm rather disappointed.

Was not expecting this

[sebbru · 9/10 · 12 March 2022]

Watched this film on television while on vacation in Sweden.

This movie really humbled me.

If you struggle with insecurities or inflated ego this a movie for you in my opinion.

Best thing about the film is easily the main character.

Considering this film probably had a very low budget, it really moved me.

All in all it's a solid 9/10 for me!

Intriguing piece

[orgrinrt · 8/10 · 18 July 2020]

This one already has a lot of good reviews so I'll let them describe the movie. What I will do, is list a few things that I wanted to mention after seeing this interesting setup:

The dog, Piki. I thought they were amazing. It boggles my mind that a dog can be trained (or situated somehow?) to act. At first they are afraid of Veijo and you can clearly see it in their eyes, but then later on they are so comfortable with him and you can sense the bond. Also, I have to mention the white dog the love interest brought (weirdly enough I can't for the life of me recall her name, I'm not sure it was ever mentioned?). The back legs shaking and the empty, numb look in their eyes when Veijo does his thing and inspects whether or not they are suffering... Unbelievable work by the dogs, I couldn't help but smile after their amazing performances!

All the main characters were incredibly believable and you could really feel their characters. Great work by the main cast. There was only one instance in which I was not entirely sure about an actor - the doctor after Veijo's father had passed - which is quite a remarkable thing as I tend to be critical about this especially. I keep feeling like I want to single out all of them for the amazing performances, but it'd be redundant to mention them all. All the main characters were just perfect here.

The scenery and visuals were breathtaking at best, just mediocre at worst. Most of the time you could sense some sort of beautiful despair (not sure how to describe the feeling in English as it's not my main language) just by looking at the scenes. The props and sets were great all around, initially I found it amusing how well they portrayed the hillybillies (for the lack of a better word) but it was a perfect match for the visuals and the style of telling.

Not everything was great though. There could have been a lot more depth to most of the characters. Obviously there's only that much time available for a movie, but this movie would have been an easy 10/10 if they just took an extra 30min or so to just paint the people better (provided the level of quality would have stayed the same).

When the movie ended, I was kind of conflicted because I wanted to understand more about the love interest. Like, why Veijo? There was this one particular scene in which she's sitting in Veijo's euthanizer car and I instantly thought I recognized a feeling I too know only too well - the longing for the eternal peace. But then the movie left the whole thing unexplored and after the first sex scene I was no longer sure if that was what she was feeling at that point as she seemed unhappy about almost dying. It really felt like that but I was probably projecting now that I think about it. Anyway, really didn't like the way they left things with her, even though it is kind of perfect to leave her as a mystery, as she was such a mysterious character.

Also, really love the choice of having lily of the valley as a theme across the movie. There's something really beautiful about the flower and its loveliness bundled with the poison. This is a personal thing, just thought it was nice.

Generally, I would with great confidence say that anyone who likes somewhat dark or irregular indies will have a great time with this one. The time just flies past as you grow more and more intrigued and finally hits the unavoidable bitterness of an abrupt end. Well, in this case it's not so much an abrupt end, it is kind of a well composed ending, but you're probably going to feel a little disappointed about not getting any resolutions with certain other characters.

Our Oscar Nomination!

[kikkeri · 4/10 · 5 October 2018]

First half of this movie is sad script-, acting-, shooting and directing vice. Drama pics up on the second half of the flick but for the most, its just way too late! For us locals, acting is just so woody that it really made your veins want to burst of the woodines! And so much of the same! Second half of the flick turns off a bit of your norm so it becomes more interesting. Yet everything about the this hole movie remains of cliches and clashes of the same seen in every b.movie mash uo! Ouch! Oscar presentation for Finland when you could have picked Unknown Soldier or just something else...There's just no comparison! I am sad for our movie fans and the industry in all as this generally poorly acted and cheaply made d- flick represents our country - wait, that's us! :)

Movies are subjective ...

[goblyn-78669 · 8/10 · 28 August 2018]

Well I thought this was a good film ,pretty stark at times.I would recommend it it you like dark sort of films .

Jet black humouresque 'value' of - (any) - life: Finnish mores take on.

[Bofsensai · 8/10 · 9 August 2021]

Another of the Finnish cut dry style, verging on jet black, humour offering of this director / scriptwriter (and much, auteur-like else, too*), with a simply superb** stand out bittersweet, deadpan performance by Matti Onnismaa** as the lugubrious lead - (amazingly, as first ever, apparently***) - eponymous protagonist as alternately thoroughly menacing, at others - (ah, encounters 'expected'*** of him) - naively bewildered...

With the English titling somewhat misleading, as the Finnish titling has a double English translation meaning, to include what would seem to be the more apt representative of 'Mercy Killer', as, what might first appear to be a sort of slasher cum chiller / horror soon transforms into quite some philosophical challenge on the value of life - and quite equally (rights?) so, animal sentience / awareness especially, as a metaphor to their owner's life: e.g. Check the "God-daughter's sad life" guinea pig ☹ and even, quite, ah, 'barbed' too, for a very strong angling society, fish, too: as see how the anti-hero 'Euthaniser' deals with the decent 'fair / fun' fisher who only 'kindly' practices "catch and release"!

Plus with top ending vehicle stalking / chase included, too - just incidentally contrasting with some similar Stateside storyline cop outs - this is with a 'proper' follow through to the action set up.

BTW: For your, ah, 'appreciation' (fear!) of this, know that there really is a (right wing proto fascist) movement along the 'Soldiers of Finland' idea shown in this (cf. Reality Soldiers of Odin, 'established' two years earlier than this film's production year)****, by which, kudos should be shouted out too for Jari Virman (as Petri) delivering so well a difficult, unempathetic character.

** At minimum, for his first time lead role performance, this is worth alone to see.

Although if you are an animal lover - despite the quite soon and prominent 'no animals were harmed' disclaimer: even given in English amongst the otherwise all Finnish (film) credits - still, fair warning: your revulsion may well be so, ah, fired up, to preferably avoid!

* as would quite praiseworthy seem to be: not quite including the kitchen sink - although, almost, as includes being 'caterer', too, apparently (listed in the credits ☺!), but also like sets and props - (with Sari Altonen, the cinematographer - plus also costuming for her, too) - check titular anti-hero's motorbikes repair shop; since, in any case, only stored there and "not mine", too.

*** in one character foibles development, a bit, ah, dated perhaps here in that erotica-asphyxia surely was all the, ah, breathless rage (well, 'awareness'; I suppose) some way back in the nineties (n'est pas, à la certain band's lead singer demise and all that?)

**** and to both respects here, then, do seek out further, same director's recent "NIMBY": with both actor and, ah, 'grouping' to the fore in.