''Dog Nail Clipper'' ( Finnish: ''Koirankynnen leikkaaja'') is a

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

Finnish film directed by

Markku Pölönen Markku Tapani Pölönen (born 16 September 1957 in Eno) is a Finnish film director, screenwriter, and editor; and the owner of film production company Suomen Filmiteollisuus. Pölönen's best known work is the 2004 film '' Dog Nail Clipper'' &mda ...

and starring

Peter Franzén Peter Vilhelm Franzén (born 14 August 1971) is a Finnish actor, author, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for his role as King Harald Finehair in ''Vikings'' (2016–2020). Personal life Franzén was born in Keminmaa, north Finland. ...

and Taisto Reimaluoto. The film is an adaptation of Finnish author

Veikko Huovinen Veikko Huovinen (7 May 1927 – 4 October 2009) was a Finnish novelist and forester. As a novelist, his writing was known for its realism, pacifism, sharp intellect, and peculiar humor. He wrote 37 books, and one of his best-known humorous novels ...

's 1980 novel of the same name. In spite of low profits, the film was critically acclaimed receiving positive reviews and winning several major film awards. ''Dog Nail Clipper'' was the most successful film at the 2005

Jussi Award The Jussi Awards are Finland's premier film industry prizes, awarded annually to recognize the achievements of directors, actors, and writers. History The first Jussi Awards ceremony was held on 16 November 1944 at the Restaurant Adlon in Hels ...

s winning in five categories including Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Direction.

Plot

Mertsi (

) is an intelligent young Finnish soldier fighting against the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. During a battle in 1941, Mertsi is shot in the head and sustains substantial brain damage that leaves him unable to cope with the demands of a normal life. Two of his friends, Eetvi ( Taisto Reimaluoto) and Ville ( Ahti Kuoppala), try to help him by getting him employed at their places of work so that they can keep an eye on him. But both jobs — construction with Ville and logging with Eetvi — prove to be beyond Mertsi's current ability. Ville tells Mertsi about his dog back home and speaks warmly about his companionship and his concern for the dog's well-being due to the overly long claws. Mertsi decides to travel to Ville's village and take care of the dog by clipping his nails. Due to Mertsi's inability to take care of himself, his trip to the village and his stay with the dog are marked by the kindness and compassion of complete strangers who help Mertsi in his quest to make himself feel like a useful and needed member of the society.

Cast and characters

— Mertsi Arhippa Vepsäläinen * Taisto Reimaluoto — Eetvi Manninen * Ahti Kuoppala — Ville Kuosmanen * Ville Virtanen — Foreman Luti * Risto Salmi — Turpeinen

Reception

Critical response

The film was a success with critics, receiving mostly positive reviews and winning several major film awards. Jay Weissberg of '' Variety'' called the film "Markku Polonen's most mature work to date" and citing, among other things, "Peter Franzen's standout performance" as reason behind film's success.Weissberg, Jay
Dog Nail Clipper
'' Variety'', February 15, 2005. Accessed July 21, 2009. In a separate review in 2008, Weissberg referred to ''Dog Nail Clipper'' as "emotionally satisfying but quirky". Weissberg also offered his opinion that the title of the film gives a false impression of the film's thematic subject and that it "may hamper international sales". Film critic Rich Cline called the film "emotionally resonant and relevant" concluding that "it's a simple, moving film".Cline, Rich
Dog Nail Clipper
ShadowsOnTheWall.com. Accessed July 21, 2009.

Awards

Won

Rouen Nordic Film Festival The Rouen Nordic Film Festival (french: Festival du Cinéma Nordique) was a film festival hold in Rouen, France for screening and competition films made in Nordic and Baltic countries, the Netherlands and Belgium. In December 2010, the organisers ...

(2004)Dog Nail Clipper (Koirankynnen leikkaaja)
,

Finnish Film Foundation The Finnish Film Foundation ( fi, Suomen elokuvasäätiö, sv, Finlands filmstiftelse) is an independent foundation with the task of supporting and developing Finnish film production, distribution and exhibition. It is supervised by the Departmen ...

. Accessed July 21, 2009. ** Audience Award *

Hamburg Film Festival FILMFEST HAMBURG is an international film festival in Hamburg, the third-largest of its kind in Germany (after Berlin and Munich). It shows national and international feature and documentary films in eleven sections. The range of the program stret ...

(2004) ** Audience Award *

Jussi Awards The Jussi Awards are Finland's premier film industry prizes, awarded annually to recognize the achievements of directors, actors, and writers. History The first Jussi Awards ceremony was held on 16 November 1944 at the Restaurant Adlon in Hels ...

(2005) ** Best Film ** Best Direction —

** Best Actor —

** Best Script — Markku Pölönen ** Best Cinematography —

Kari Sohlberg Kari or KARI may refer to: Places *Kari, Jhunjhunu, a village in Rajasthan, India * , a village in Mouhoun Province, Burkina Faso *Kari, Tikamgarh, a town in Madhya Pradesh, India * Kari, Iran, a village in Bushehr Province, Iran * Kari-ye Bozorg ( ...

* Anjalankoski Film Sunday (2005) ** Anjalankoski Film Prize — Markku Pölönen

Nominated

(2005) ** Best Set Design — Minna Santakari (lost to Jussi Halonen, Samuli Halla, and Petri Neuvonen for ''

Pelicanman ''Pelicanman'' (Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people ...

'')

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dog Nail Clipper 2004 films 2000s Finnish-language films Finnish drama films Films based on Finnish novels Films directed by Markku Pölönen