Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Reindeerspotting
2010
**½
Director: Joonas Neuvonen
Cast:

A Finnish documentary about a group of young drug addicts in the town of Rovaniemi in Lapland. The focus is on Jani, an unemployed 19-year-old, who supports his habit with petty thefts. When he's about to face jail time, he flees to Central Europe. The video footage was shot in 2003 and 2004 by the director, who was a junkie himself. The film offers a fascinating inside view to substance abuse in all its grim detail, but as a viewing experience this is like watching paint dry. The protagonist moves from fix to fix but doesn't have anything particularly funny, witty or insightful to say about himself or his addiction. As a sad epilogue, Jani committed suicide in Cambodia a few months after the film came out.