Suomen hauskin mies (Laugh or Die)
2018
****
Director: Heikki Kujanpää
Cast: Martti Suosalo, Jani Volanen, Leena Pöysti, Paavo Kinnunen, Vesa Vierikko, Jussi Lehtonen, Jussi Nikkilä, Tommi Eronen, Panu Vauhkonen, Karri Miettinen , Rüdiger Klink, Marcus Hägg
At the end of the Finnish Civil War in 1918, hundreds of captured Red Guards are sent to a prison camp on the island of Isosaari. These include a group of actors who have a chance to escape execution by staging a comedic play. This moving and darkly comic historical drama celebrates the triumph of the human spirit. Like Roberto Benigni in Life Is Beautiful, Martti Suosalo gives a terrific performance as a man who uses humour to deal with oppressive circumstances. Heikki Kujanpää directed and adapted his own 2017 stage play.
