Frozen Land Reviews

Grim with a grin

Imagine the most depressing winter you will never experience: grey instead of white, no snowfights and certainly no wonderlands. This is the Finland as portrayed by 'Frozen Land'. With no apologies, this film follows a bunch of people whose lives are oddly linked to each others' with results beyond anyone's nightmares. Yes, most characters are flawed in the way that only celluloid characters can - completely annoying and frustrating to watch, yet for some reason you wish for their luck to turn miraculously. With some randomly placed humour and a cast that groups together Finland's somewhat mainstream faces, Frozen Land offers a glimpse of the Finnish mentality that despite its depressing downward spirals manages to restore some faith in humanity. More so than Kaurismäki, to say the least.

Contemporary Finnish Cinema

Finnish Cinema is known in Europe mostly because movies made by Kaurismäki brothers. What director Aku Louhimies offers here is a more contemporary view of urban Finland. Bleak and slushy Helsinki is portrayed very authentically in this episode movie that follows couple unlucky people during a short period of time. Although few characters of the movie seem a bit pretentious, some are spot on. Especially veteran actor Sulevi Peltola, who delivers stunning and very chilling performance as an aging Hoover salesman. Instead of Kaurismäki's overly staged style Frozen Land is much more mainstream in it's dynamics. Maybe for a first time Louhimies brings the quality of Finnish contemporary cinema up to the level with European independent and art house counterparts. See this movie if you wanna see a good (which is rare) Finnish movie. PS: It's not a date movie as the topics are typically Finnish: alcoholism, loneliness, manslaughter and of course suicide.

masterpiece

this movie is so depressiv that you want to commit suicide after watching it....

the characters, the atmosphere and the story....just brilliant and what I exactly expect from a good finish movie.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Black And White Nights

At times this Finnish film is so edgy and bleak I found myself pining for Bergman to provide light relief. It’s kind of anti-visceral cinema; its negative pleasures deriving from the realisation that you’re not these characters, in these situations. If that is the aim, then it succeeds brilliantly and is a credit to all involved. Even if it isn't it's still a credit to all involved, particularly the cast. But Helsinki! Wtf?

Customer Review

This is one of the most depressing films I have ever watched. Viewers may have to stock up on the prozac to get through it. None of the characters are remotely likeable and Finland is presented as a country of snow, ice and alcoholism. It will do for Finnish tourism what Trainspotting did for the Scottish variety. Buy/rent this movie only if you want a challenge.

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frozen rubbish

This is probably the worst film i have ever seen, just watching it made me depressed, maybe that is what the director wanted then I should give it 5 stars. But bad points are the subtitles, i found it hard to read them at time as they are always in white and you never know who's speaking from the subs. Feel like i wasted 2hrs.

Very Different...

Fantastic film with very good story line..

excelent

a really good film- athough not evident by the title

it makes a change from all the trash that is normally around

LOAD OF RUBBISH

Do not rent this one a load of tosh didnt get the plot if there was suppose to be one.

Where did this film come from?

A succession of characters impact on each oither's lives with mostly unhappy consequences

Consistently interesting to watch with its string of well-drawn, inter-connected characters, this film has a distinctive momentum which keeps you involved all the way through.

If you don't like 'depressing' stories, don't bother, but it will be your loss, as this film neither gets bogged down by its various deaths and misfortunes nor by its bleak backdrop.

If it's insights into people you are looking for, this should be at the top of your list