The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki
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''The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki'' () is a 2016
biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
film directed by
Juho Kuosmanen Juho Kuosmanen (born September 30, 1979) is a Finnish film director and screenwriter. He graduated from Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in 2014. Kuosmanen's graduation film called The Painting Sellers was nominated for fiv ...
and written by Mikko Myllylahti and Kuosmanen. An international co-production between Finland, Sweden, and Germany, the film stars Jarkko Lahti, Oona Airola, and
Eero Milonoff Eero Milonoff (born 1 May 1980) is a Finnish actor. He won a Guldbagge Award for his role in the 2018 film ''Border'', and he has been a nominee at the Jussi Awards for his roles in the films '' Ganes'' (2007) and '' The Happiest Day in the Life ...
. It tells the true story of
Olli Mäki Olli Johan Oskari Mäki (22 December 1936 – 6 April 2019) was a Finnish boxer. As an amateur, he won the European lightweight title in 1959, having placed second in 1957. After being dropped from the 1960 Olympic team, he turned professional an ...
, the famous Finnish
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...
who had a shot at the 1962 World Featherweight title. The film had its world premiere at the 69th Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2016, where it was awarded the
Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...
prize. It was theatrically released in Finland on 2 September 2016, by B-Plan Distribution. It received generally positive reviews from critics and was selected as the Finnish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the
89th Academy Awards The 89th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2016 in film, films of 2016, and took place on February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Californ ...
, but it was not nominated. At the 71st
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 Hel ...
, the film earned a leading ten nominations and won in eight categories, including Best Film,
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...
, Best Actor (for Lahti), and Best Supporting Actress (for Airola). Kuosmanen also won the European Discovery at the 29th European Film Awards.


Plot

It's the year 1962:
Olli Mäki Olli Johan Oskari Mäki (22 December 1936 – 6 April 2019) was a Finnish boxer. As an amateur, he won the European lightweight title in 1959, having placed second in 1957. After being dropped from the 1960 Olympic team, he turned professional an ...
( Jarkko Lahti) is a Finnish amateur-turned-professional boxer from the town of
Kokkola Kokkola (; , ) is a town in Finland and the regional capital of Central Ostrobothnia. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Kokkola is approximately , while the Kokkola sub-region, sub-region h ...
who, while attending a wedding, becomes smitten with his friend Raija (Oona Airola). They travel to
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
where his manager Elis Ask (
Eero Milonoff Eero Milonoff (born 1 May 1980) is a Finnish actor. He won a Guldbagge Award for his role in the 2018 film ''Border'', and he has been a nominee at the Jussi Awards for his roles in the films '' Ganes'' (2007) and '' The Happiest Day in the Life ...
) is preparing Olli's big break: a
World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is an international professional boxing organization based in Panama. The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level. Founded ...
featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...
championship title fight against renowned American boxer Davey Moore (John Bosco Jr.) in the
Helsinki Olympic Stadium The Helsinki Olympic Stadium (; ), located in the Töölö district about from the centre of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country. The stadium is best known for being the centre of activities in the 1952 Summer ...
. The match would be one of the biggest events in Finnish sporting history, even though most people – including Olli – are skeptical: Moore's record vastly outclasses Olli's. The preparations are not without problems: Olli is
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...
and has to lose enough weight within two weeks to reach featherweight, Elis' enthusiasm about the match includes hiring a
documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
film crew who become increasingly disruptive as the preparations go on, and staging various dinner parties with the sponsors of the match which require the uncomfortable Olli to adhere to protocol. The circus around the match disheartens Olli, who falls more and more in love with Raija – Raija, however, feels she's a burden on Olli's preparation, and goes back to Kokkola. Olli has a hard time concentrating, and eventually follows Raija, much to the dismay of Elis, who is concerned that Olli won't make weight by the time the weigh-in comes, let alone be prepared for the match itself. Olli eventually persuades Elis to leave him to prepare on his own, and puts himself through a drastic process of losing weight: during the weigh-in, he barely makes weight, and on the same day, he proposes to Raija. As the match begins, Olli has a good start in the first round, but gets knocked down several times in the second and the referee calls for a
technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
. While Elis is disappointed, Olli seems to be at peace with the loss, and quietly walks away from the post-match dinner with Raija.


Cast

* Jarkko Lahti as
Olli Mäki Olli Johan Oskari Mäki (22 December 1936 – 6 April 2019) was a Finnish boxer. As an amateur, he won the European lightweight title in 1959, having placed second in 1957. After being dropped from the 1960 Olympic team, he turned professional an ...
* as Raija Jänkä *
Eero Milonoff Eero Milonoff (born 1 May 1980) is a Finnish actor. He won a Guldbagge Award for his role in the 2018 film ''Border'', and he has been a nominee at the Jussi Awards for his roles in the films '' Ganes'' (2007) and '' The Happiest Day in the Life ...
as Elis Ask * John Bosco Jr. as Davey Moore The real Olli and Raija Mäki appear briefly at the very end of the film, as Raija looks at them and asks Olli "Do you think we'll be like them when we're old?"


Production

''The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki'' was the feature-length debut of director
Juho Kuosmanen Juho Kuosmanen (born September 30, 1979) is a Finnish film director and screenwriter. He graduated from Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in 2014. Kuosmanen's graduation film called The Painting Sellers was nominated for fiv ...
, who had previously directed short films as well as theatre and opera productions. The film was shot on location, mostly in
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
. To achieve the 1960s look, Kuosmanen and cinematographer Jani-Petteri Passi decided to film on 16mm Kodak Tri-X black and white film stock. They felt this gave the film a vintage look even though the film stock was not meant for feature films. The production team ended up ordering all the stock available in Europe and the United States after which Kodak had to produce more.


Reception


Critical response

Peter Bradshaw Peter Nicholas Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire'' magazine. Early life and education Bradshaw was educat ...
of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, and described it as "a gentle, shrewd, somehow mysterious love story, based on real life, beautifully photographed in luminous black-and-white and drawing inspiration from Scorsese and Truffaut."
Manohla Dargis Manohla June Dargis ( ) is an American film critic. She is the chief film critic for ''The New York Times''. She is a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Career Before being a film critic for ''The New York Times'', Dargis ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' stated, "''The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki'' deepens quietly. €¦It's a bit of a narrative slow-boil — the story arrives in pieces, in disconnected scenes and conversational fragments — but it grabs you right from the start. The most obvious reason is the dense, luxuriant black-and-white cinematography, which is very pleasurable in its own right." David Rooney of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' called the film "a small marvel of impeccable craftsmanship", lauding its black and white cinematography and "faultless and unshowy" performances. Geoffrey Macnab of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' said ''Olli Mäki'' "rethinks and revitalises" the genre of boxing movies and also found it one of the year's most likeable films. Both Macnab and Kristopher Tapley of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' called the film a leading contender for the foreign language Oscar.


Accolades

The film has won several awards at film festivals: *
Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...
,
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
; * Golden Eye,
Zurich Film Festival Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is an annual film festival that has been held in Zürich, Switzerland, since 2005. The festival's main focus is to promote emerging filmmakers from all over the world. In three competition categories only first, secon ...
; * Gold Hugo, New Directors Competition,
Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...
; * Grand Prix, Saint-Jean-de-Luz International Film Festival. The film also won eight
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 Hel ...
at the 71st Jussi Awards in 2017. * Best Film (Jussi Rantamäki, producer) *
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...
(
Juho Kuosmanen Juho Kuosmanen (born September 30, 1979) is a Finnish film director and screenwriter. He graduated from Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in 2014. Kuosmanen's graduation film called The Painting Sellers was nominated for fiv ...
) * Best Actor ( Jarkko Lahti) * Best Supporting Actress ( Oona Airola) * Best Cinematography (J-P Passi) * Best Editing (Jussi Rautaniemi) * Best Costume Design (Sari Suominen) * Best Makeup (Salla Yli-Luopa)


See also

*
List of boxing films This is a list of films about boxing featuring notable sports films where boxing plays a central role in the development of the plot. __TOC__ List See also * List of sports films * List of highest-grossing sports films References {{Spo ...
*
List of submissions to the 89th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of submissions to the 89th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award ...
*
List of Finnish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Maki, The 2016 films 2016 drama films 2016 biographical drama films 2016 directorial debut films 2010s sports drama films Finnish biographical drama films Finnish black-and-white films 2010s Finnish-language films 2010s Finnish films Boxing films Biographical films about sportspeople Cultural depictions of boxers Cultural depictions of Finnish people Films directed by Juho Kuosmanen Finnish sports drama films