Metsän tarina (Tale of a Forest)
2012
***½
Director: Ville Suhonen, Kim Saarniluoto
Cast:
This enjoyable nature documentary attempts to disclose the secrets of a primeval Finnish forest through a combination of stunning cinematography and ancient mythology. The footage was shot by Hannu Siitonen and Mikko Pöllänen, who spent years assembling the material. In the narration, a father explains to his son the ancient beliefs about the plants, animals and spirits of the woods. The images are gorgeous and the old folktales fit in surprisingly well, but the film could've used some structural tweaking. Now the season changes from scene to scene and the story returns to the same wildlife time and again.
