Un Certain Regard winner at Cannes and Finland’s Oscar entry for Best Foreign Film, director and screenwriter Juho Kuosmanen’s irresistible sports biopic is inspired by the real-life showdown between Finnish boxer Olli Mäki and American champion Davey Moore in 1962 Helsinki.
Shot in black and white with scrupulous period detail, it depicts Olli as a wistful, vulnerable small-town boy, whose innocence is at odds with the hyperbolic showmanship of his bombastic manager Elis (Eero Milonoff). All he has to do is lose weight to qualify and concentrate on his training, but there’s just one problem: he’s falling in love.
Full of trenchant commentary about the sports and media industries and their symbiotic relationship, which tends to pressurise and corrupt competitors, the film is also a charming and comedic depiction of Finland’s excitement about its appearance on the world stage and a startlingly sweet romance.
