How to Shout
AA: Josefina Rautiainen's How to Shout is a psychological thriller which probes a far flung territory of transference. Heloisa tries to make sense of the sadistic obsessions of her imagination. They don't seem to lead to actual violent behaviour.
8914
MA-lopputyö, Josefina Rautiainen
Fiction
Drama
2025
Suomi, Finland
83 min
Digital
DCP
Color
Dolby Atmos / 7.1 / 5.1
2:1
25 fps
Finnish
Subtitle in English
Premiered in Finland 31.10.2025
DIRECTOR Josefina Rautiainen (female)
SCRIPT Josefina Rautiainen
PRODUCER Maija Hartikainen, Miikka Pakarinen
CINEMATOGRAPHY Miikka Pakarinen
SOUND Juhana Vihervaara
EDITING James Coker
SET DESIGN Elsa Fionuir
COSTUME DESIGN Katri Nikkola
MAKEUP DESIGN Kata Launonen
COMPOSER Emil Sana
CAST
1. Jonna Järnefelt / Anu
2. Alina Tomnikov / Heloisa
3. Elina Knihtilä / Mette
4. Tobias Zilliacus / Jaakko
5. Samuel Kujala / Antti
Teacher: Raija Talvio
ONE LINER IN ENGLISH Love should never hurt
ONE LINER IN FINNISH Rakkauden ei pitäis koskaan sattua
SYNOPSIS IN ENGLISH Anu regularly meets her patient Heloisa in therapy sessions. Each time Heloisa falls in love, she begins to suffer from sadistic obsessive thoughts toward her partner. Heloisa’s twisted psyche fascinates Anu in ways she doesn’t fully understand – both professionally and on a personal level. One day, Heloisa suddenly ends the therapy. Later on, a midsummer gathering with friends is abruptly interrupted when Anu’s son, Antti, arrives – with his new girlfriend, Heloisa. Anu is forced to confront her own boundaries and the painful memories of their therapeutic relationship, which reveal an obsessive bond between them – one that now threatens to destroy everything.
SYNOPSIS IN FINNISH Anu tapaa vastaanotollaan säännöllisesti Heloisaa, joka aina rakastuessaan alkaa kärsiä julmista ja piinaavista pakkoajatuksista rakastettuaan kohtaan. Heloisan kieroutunut psyyke kiehtoo Anua tavalla, jota hän ei täysin ymmärrä – ammatillisesti ja henkilökohtaisesti. Mutta eräänä päivänä Heloisa lopettaa terapian yllättäen. Juhannusjuhlat ystäväpariskunnan kanssa keskeytyvät, kun Anun poika Antti saapuu paikalle uuden tyttöystävänsä kanssa – joka on Heloisa. Anu joutuu kohtaamaan omat rajansa sekä Heloisan terapiasuhteeseen liittyvät kipeät muistot, jotka paljastavat heidän välilleen syntyneen pakkomielteisen siteen, joka on vaarassa tuhota kaiken.
The ambience is tense, the performances are highly strung, and there is a nightmarish dimension all along. Hidden traumata are evoked but never fully confronted.
The performances are intense, the music/soundscape is expressive about the theme, the two main milieux (the psychotherapist's reception room and the midsummer dacha) are effectively staged, and the cinematography ranges from strong psychological realism to nature's midsummer magic.
How to Shout remains mysterious in ways that are not all meaningfully intentional. While there is high intensity in most of the sequences, it would be even better if there were an even more compelling overall charge.
The cinema seldom does justice to the reality of a psychotherapist's work. In this respect, How to Shout is not different from the norm.
