Levoton Tuhkimo (My Name Is Dingo)
2024
***
Director: Mari Rantasila
Cast: Saku Taittonen, Alvari Stenbäck, Emil Kihlström, Samuel Kujala, Valtteri Lehtinen, Mauno Terävä, Ronja Keiramo, Elias Salonen, Reino Nordin, Kris Gummerus, Miia Lindström, Joel Hirvonen, Karlo Haapiainen, Jani Karvinen, Hugo Komaro
In the early 1980s, Pertti “Nipa” Neumann forms Dingo, a pop group that enjoys a short-lived but meteoric rise to fame as intense Dingomania sweeps across Finland from 1984 to 1986. This short and enjoyable biographical drama chronicles the band's brief history, focusing primarily on Nipa's transformation from a working-class kid into a jaded pop star. Unfortunately, Dingo's story doesn't differ all that much from those of countless musical biopics that have come before it. The band's dreams of stardom quickly give way to incredible success, followed by the downside of fame, financial mismanagement, and an inevitable breakup. Nipa's personal life is overshadowed by his unsupportive father, his narcissism and substance abuse, and his increasingly disillusioned girlfriend. The film incorporates archival footage of the real band performaing live.
