Mystinen metsätyömies / Mystical Lumberjack

Mikko Mattila: Mystinen metsätyömies / Mystical Lumberjack: Pekka Myllykoski, "Freud" in the country band Freud Marx Engels & Jung.

National Competition 3
Tampere International Film Festival (TFF)
Plevna 5, Tampere, 5 March 2020.
    Q&A after the screening with Mikko Mattila.

MYSTINEN METSÄTYÖMIES
MYSTICAL LUMBERJACK

Mikko Mattila | Finland 2019 | Documentary | 63 min

TFF: "Portrait of Pekka Myllykoski (1959-2017), super intelligent bookworm and nature lover, almost graduaded medical doctor, who became the lyricist and singer of popular outlaw country band Freud Marx Engels & Jung. The band was specially known for many alcohol and drinking related hits. The optimism and joy of youth in 1980s turned in next decades to a deep alcoholism."

"Muotokuva Pekka Myllykoskesta (1959-2017), huippuälykkäästä lukutoukasta ja luonnonystävästä, melkein valmiista lääkäristä, josta tuli suositun country-yhtye Freud Marx Engels & Jungin laulaja-lauluntekijä. Yhtye tunnettiin etenkin useista alkoholista ja juomisesta kertovista hiteistään. 1980-luvun optimismi ja nuoruudeninto vaihtuivat myöhempinä vuosikymmeninä syvään alkoholismiin." (TFF)

Lauri Timonen (Midnight Sun Film Festival, 2019): "Should the yearning for country music course fiery in your veins, Texas boots be the thing, and the lyrics of the band called Freud, Marx, Engels & Jung play upon the most sensitive strings of your soul, this newly released documentary has been made just for you. The personal portrait of the singer Pekka Myllykoski (1959–2017) is a rough but honest story of an authentically sensitive bohemian whose exceptional talents partly also became a burden for him. This authentic anti-hero of thirsty romanticism, one of the most skillful lyricists in the realm, enjoyed quizzes in addition to his main job, something abetted by an IQ verging on Goethe’s magic limit, nevertheless sabotaging his act by the meticulous bottle-feeding required by his liquor-soaked reputation."

"Friends, family, and bandmates do not prettify the truth here, but between the notes emerges an exceptionally frank image of a free spirit walking down the road of his own choosing – “Sunday morning streets” – a mystic who loved the forests and even worked as a doctor, a ragged scraggly-bearded rebel of Finnish Country music." Lauri Timonen (Midnight Sun Film Festival, 2019)

AA: The documentary portrait of Pekka Myllykoski, the lead singer of the country music band Freud Marx Engels & Jung (the name parodying Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) grows into a music documentary of the popular band which was launched in the year 1984, also known by the abbreviation "Freukkarit". Mikko Mattila avoids the cliches of the genre but he does not avoid the issues of the band and the talented artist. Pekka Myllykoski was a talented and beloved physican who was too sensitive to practice the medical profession. He was also a blatant case of "medice, cura te ipsum" ("physician, take care of yourself!").

Mystical Lumberjack is in many ways a tale of alcoholism. Drinking songs were a staple in the Freud Marx Engels & Jung repertory. They rehearsed their programme to be performed in three modes: drunk, sober, and hung over. Alcoholism is approached from many sides. It is a state of fun, joy and creativity. It is a state of irresponsibility especially at home. It is a medical case, to be treated in withdrawal therapy and Antabus. But perhaps Pekka took cures only to be able to drink more. Ultimately it is a matter of self-destruction, slow suicide. Finally we face the fact that Pekka Myllykoski is what we in Finland call "itsemurhakandidaatti" ("candidate for suicide").

We return to the childhood trauma of Pekka Myllykoski, the "Freud" of the band. There was no love in Pekka's childhood. He was bullied by his big brother Matti who oppressed him even with physical violence. Pekka's fundamental experience of life was injustice.

Mystical Lumberjack, the title of the film (taken from a Freukkarit song), refers to the fact that Pekka found solace in nature. He loved to trek in Lapland. He was highly conscious of the environment and deeply concerned about the fact that humanity is about to self-destruct. Pekka's ashes were spread in the forest.

Instead of a funeral, there was a memorial concert at the popular rock club Tavastia, following the advice of Hound Dog Taylor: "don't have a funeral, have a party". We hear one of Pekka's key slogans: "life is a bad joke".

As a music documentary Mystical Lumberjack is excellent. Mikko Mattila has had privileged access to the Freukkarit archives and Pekka Myllykoski's home movies. The technically disparate materials have been edited in a meaningful way without polishing rough edges. Mattila's film is both reverent and irreverent.

It is a unique story about Finnish madness. And madness in the world at large.