| Take the hit NBC show
'Friends'... Feed the entire cast a massive overdose of downers and
Viagra... And with that miracle concoction, you have this Finnish
relationship drama, "Levottomat". The plot revolves around a group
of 6 acquaintances, of varying form, but centers on one character
named Ari. Ari is virtually devoid of emotion in both areas of
his life. Professionally, he works as a paramedic, competently
doing his job without actually investing any emotion in the outcome of
the patients he treats. His personal life consists of banging
anything with a vagina... Alright, not anything... He is able to get
his grubby hands all over some delightfully sexy Finnish tail.
One of those delicacies comes in the form of the gorgeous Laura
Malmivaara, a statuesque blonde beauty he meets at the beach one
afternoon. An hour later, he is entangled in her arms and legs,
and as a result, in her life too. Her friends become his
friends. Her apartment becomes his apartment. He is in the
one thing he cannot seem to stand... a relationship.
Soon, he is making headway with the other two girls in the group of
six. His sexual exploits cause rifts and explosive
confrontations within the group, virtually tearing at the fabric of
their friendships. He evolves into a virtual cancer for the
other five.
I really liked the way this film explored each and every character
fully. Ari may be the central figure, but the other five each
get enough screen time for them to matter to the audience.
The cast exudes sex appeal and intelligence in abundance.
This was probably a tough film to shoot, both emotionally and
physically. I say physically because the film does not shy away
from the sexual scenes... it dives head first into the intimacy,
showing things that American films could not get away with without
earning an X rating from the MPAA.
This film is frank and honest. It is an exploration of
infidelity and the repercussions of it within a group of friends.
"Levottomat" may be the only film I have ever seen from Finland... but
the talent involved here makes me want to see more. This is a
rare film, especially in the west, but if you can find it on DVD, I
strongly suggest giving it a try. |