Sulevi Peltola is wasted as the grandpa who is stuck in wartime memories (what a novel idea!). Other actors are more skilled, but their roles aren't much to talk about. This is probably largely the directors fault. Miikka Enbuske in the lead tries hard to be symphatetic and brisk but ends up sounding fake and irritating. It is a superfluous imitation of other similar films, a shapeless mess of little incidents and characters that never form a satisfying story. However Kahlekuningas, despite its favorable reviews, seemed to me as a complete failure. The period settings give nice flashbacks, and often these films have great dialogue, good child / adult characters and interesting stories. That is a commonly accepted practice and i have nothing to complain about that. Most nordic films are about a young boy/girl approaching adulthood in the 50's-70's. One slight surprise in the film was the information that, apparently, schools in Finland play baseball.I never would have guessed that! Aside from language, this would be a fine film for family viewing, and it was released for 7+ in Finland (it would rate an American "R" for the language in the subtitles). Other similar details abound: Esko is once late for dinner because he forgot Sweden is in a different time zone another time, the two boys are running down the street and shout "Nothing to declare" as they go by the customs post without breaking stride.
We also see a daily coping with the problems of two languages and cultures in a way that suggests it is a well-known routine to the local townsfolk: when one lad appears to be threatening suicide while masked, virtually the first question asked is whether he speaks Finnish or Swedish. It is clear from the film that the Swedish town is the far more prosperous, so there are class distinctions involved as well. There is ritualized violence between the teens of the two adjoining communities, and this prejudice continues into the adults, as Patrick's father forbids the lads to see each other (even though his runaway wife was Finnish). What is fascinating about the film is the contrast and tensions between the two cultures (who nevertheless live a short stroll apart). The two boys form a great admiration for Harry Houdini, and escapology becomes part of their play. Desperate for companionship, he bonds with Patrick, a Swedish boy his own age who is also ostracized by his compatriots (for very different reasons). When Esko refuses to accept his share of the responsibility, he is ostracized by the other Finnish boys.
He and his friends get into trouble following a run-in with some Swedish lads from across the river. It is set in 1976 in the northern Finnish town of Tornio, on the Swedish border, and it is the story of 12-year-old Esko. This film is a top-quality coming-of-age comedy-drama from Finland.
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