Diva of Finland

FI 2019. PC: Silva Mysterium Oy / Evil Doghouse Productions AS. P: Mika Ritalahti, Niko Ritalahti. Co-P: Egil Ødegård.
    D+SC: Maria Veijalainen. DP: Joonas Pulkkanen. AD: Juha-Matti Toppinen. Cost: Venla Korvenmaa. M: Risto Ylihärsilä. S: Toni Teivaala. ED: Katja Pällijeff.
    C: Suvi-Tuuli Teerinkoski (Henna), Linda Manelius (Silja), Jutta Myllykoski (Iris), Sonja Sippala (Ii), Mikko Neuvonen (Sami), Miko Kontturi (Ilipo), Janica Keränen (Janna), Merja Pietilä (Henna's mother), Aki Pelkonen (Henna's father), Aatu Kärkkäinen (Henkka), Meri Nenonen (Silja's mother), Lauri Tilkanen (Herman Blade).
    Loc: Pudasjärvi, Oulu, Kempele, Haukipudas.
    Premiere: 4 Oct 2019 in Oulu - distributor: SF Studios.
    Vimeo link viewed for Jussi Awards, on a 4K tv screen at home, 11 March 2020.

Official presentation: "Diva of Finland is a drama comedy about friendship and the pursuit of popularity."

"Henna (Suvi-Tuuli Teerinkoski), who is generally agreed to have talent, expects to move from her little community soon after the matriculation examination. On Henna's birthday she acquires a new neighbour, Silja (Linda Manelius), who charms everybody with her beauty and talent. Henna begins to follow Silja both in social media and real life, and envy blinds her for a moment. The movie is a tale about friendship, competition and overcoming it. The director-screenwriter is Maria Veijalainen (formerly Mononen) well known for her award winning short films". (Official presentation, my translation)

AA: Diva of Finland, the debut feature film by Maria Veijalainen, tells about young women from Pudasjärvi, next to Oulu, to the south from Lapland.

It's about ambition and overcoming the poison of envy. It's about fun and partying during the last school year before the student degree.

The film is also a satire of television's song contests. Henna and her best friend Silja at turns take it seriously and spoof it. Making rap music videos for YouTube is a major form of self-expression.

It's a backwoods community in where Henna used to be the star. Along comes Silja from Vantaa, Metropolitan Helsinki area, and now everybody is interested only in this bright and popular new girl.

On a school observation trek Henna slips, hurts her eyes and has to wear an eyemask and shades. Nevertheless she manages to spike Silja's drink with an overdose of vodka and manipulate a boy who is dating someone else to land in bed with her. At once Silja's reputation is destroyed and she is hated and bullied by everybody. It goes too far, and it's time for a volte-face.

There is final turning-point when the Diva of Finland auditions come to Oulu, the nearest city.

A fresh look into contemporary life and eternal themes of growing up by the director Maija Veijalainen and the stars Suvi-Tuuli Teerinkoski and Silja Manelius.