Frozen Land

2005 Director Aku Louhimies

Based on Leo Tolstoy's novella The False Coupon, this is an intriguing journey into the ripples of cause and effect. The story passes from character to character as the impact affect them. The film appears to make a figure eight of events in that it goes full circle, at which point I was expecting the credits. Instead it then embarks on another circle apparently in an attempt to clear up the loose threads. I feel this could have been done better.

However it is well worth the watch. Based in alcohol soaked Finland the story starts with a middle aged teacher being made redundant in favour of a younger IT teacher. This leads to him pawning his son's Hifi for some beer. The son leaves home in anger and meets with some friends who take him in. From their computer he prints out a 500 euro note which he passes off to an old lady minding the pawn shop to recover his Hifi. The pawn shop owner then passes the dud to a car salesman who ends up arrested when he tries to pass the note in a restaurant. He vents his fury on the Pawnbroker and goes on a bender where he meets a failing vacuum cleaner salesman. They go on a bender to end all benders ending in the car salesman and his whore being murdered. The policewoman who comes to investigate gives chase to a man she presumes is the killer only to trip and fall under a train in a goods yard. She is the wife of a young IT teacher. End of first loop and the point where I think the credits should be.

However, leaving you a moment to get your breath, the film starts off again with the counterfeiter being recruited to be the lookout in a factory break-in. When he sees the police arrive, on their way to a murder, he panics and makes his getaway leaving the burglar to run into a goods yard. A policewoman gives chase with the already predicted outcome. The man is arrested and convicted of manslaughter. A five year jump to his release and the final confrontation with the husband of the policewoman ties all the loose ends together.

A great deal of care has been taken in the characterisations as all are believable people placed in extraordinary circumstances. It's a fast paced and very good film.