Directed by:
Aleksi SalmenperäScreenplay:
Aleksi SalmenperäCinematography:
Tuomo HutriComposer:
Ville TanttuCast:
Ville Virtanen, Lauri Tilkanen, Pihla Viitala, Vera Kiiskinen, Niki Seppälä, Ismo Kallio, Tomi Salmela, Minna Suuronen, Reino Nordin, Sara Paavolainen (more)Plots(1)
"Now I'm so happy / That I got you / Back in my life / It's all so fine / In my life I've / Been a little bit lost / Those days are gone / I feel reborn / Together we can beat / The things we scare and we dare / To kiss each other any time / Anywhere / Now I'm so happy / I got you / Back in my life / It's so fine"
In spite of the picture of domestic bliss conjured up by the theme song of this Aki Kaurismäki-produced family portrait, there's nothing 'fine' about this 'bad family'. At the centre of this tragicomic story is Mikael, a court of appeals judge, who, since his divorce, is now a single father. Mikael's son Daniel has fallen in love. Determined to save his son from an attachment he considers shameful, Mikael does everything in his power to prevent it. But when his initial efforts to bring the affair to an end are unsuccessful, he begins to resort to increasingly scrupulous methods. Derailed by his delusions, the desperate father bulldozes aside everyone who prevents him from carrying out his absurd crusade.
Mikael's victims include his ex-wife and his other children. Theirs would seem to be a hopeless situation – particularly when one considers the fact that the object of Daniel's affections is none other than his own sister.
(Berlinale)
Reviews (2)
One of the few Finnish films I’ve come across since my return from Finland, and it only reinforced my belief that Finns are a unique bunch. Their mindset feels worlds apart from ours, and that shows not just in how they act, but in the kinds of films they make—often tackling some pretty unusual topics. That said, Bad Family definitely had something going for it. It’s got that unmistakable Nordic atmosphere, a strange but intriguing premise, and solid execution overall.
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The withdrawn absurdity with a sarcastic grin tells the story of an obsession that is the cause of the internal decay of withdrawn judge Mikael. His panicked fear of his children's incestuous relationship leads to an escalating sequence of absurd scenes which, under a crust of black Nordic humor, increasingly reveal a barricaded character and the seemingly bulletproof shell of his family life. The protagonists seem to move across the screen in icy carapaces, and the camera keeps the viewer at a distance with its slowness and by being static, ensuring that the sudden flashes of cynicism and absurdity stand out all the more with greater contrast. A wonderful experience leads to an inevitably disillusioning point, which only confirms that the director is lying when he claims that he knows nothing about making films. He knows enough to serve a delicate portion of Nordic family tragicomedy to the viewer with coldly raised eyebrows - the strange flight between latent cruelty and laughter in relief. [KVIFF 2010]
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