''Stupid Young Heart'' ( fi, Hölmö nuori sydän) is a 2018 Finnish
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
Selma Vilhunen
Selma Vilhunen (born October 1976 in Turku) is a Finnish film maker.
Vilhunen and fellow producer Kirsikka Saari received an Academy Awards nomination in the category of Best Live Action Short Film for the 2013 film ''Do I Have to Take Care of E ...
.
It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the
2018 Toronto International Film Festival
The 43rd annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 6 to 16, 2018. In June 2018, the TIFF organizers announced a program to ensure that at least 20 percent of all film critics and journalists given press accreditation to ...
.
It was selected as the Finnish entry for the
Best International Feature Film at the
92nd Academy Awards
The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 2019 and took place on February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:00 ...
, but it was not nominated.
Plot
Pregnant teen Kiira and her boyfriend Lenni struggle to make ends meet. Further complications arise when Lenni joins a group of
neo-Nazis
Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), attack ...
.
Cast
*
Pihla Viitala
Pihla Viitala (born 30 September 1982) is a Finnish actress. She studied acting at the Helsinki Theatre Academy.
Personal life
In 2004, Viitala married musician Kerkko Koskinen; the couple divorced in 2008. She married Kazakh- German Alex Sc ...
as Ansku
*
Ville Haapasalo
Ville Juhana Haapasalo (born 28 February 1972) is a Finnish stage and film actor who has worked in Finland and Russia. His acting career started in 1995, after he finished his studies in St. Petersburg. In 2003, he was honored with the State Priz ...
as Janne
* Katja Kukkola as Satu
Reception
Barry Hertz from
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
gave the film 2.5 out of 4, stating: "With ''Stupid Young Heart'', director Selma Vilhunen attempts to dissect the attraction a fringe group might offer for the youthful and dispossessed, and while her intentions are noble, the execution is as shaky as the current geopolitical environment."
Michael McNeely from "That Shelf" said: "Limited characterization and a static plot prevent the film from soaring."
Michelle da Silva from the newspaper
NOW Toronto
''Now'' (styled as ''NOW''), also known as ''NOW Magazine'' is an online publication based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Throughout most of its existence, ''Now'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper. Physical publication of ''Now'' was suspen ...
liked the film giving it 4 stars out of five, describing it as "much more than a teen romance" and writing: "Vilhunen explores real hardships of the working class, and her portrayal of teens is heartbreakingly authentic. Honkonen and Ristseppä give sensitive performances that will haunt you after the final scene."
For
The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...
, David Friend said, "while 'Stupid Young Heart' ties up a complicated story too easily, it draws some light to how fringe groups find weakness and exploit it for their own agenda."
See also
*
*
List of Finnish submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stupid Young Heart
2018 films
2018 drama films
2010s pregnancy films
Finnish drama films
2010s Finnish-language films
Films about neo-Nazism
Teenage pregnancy in film
Works about white nationalism