Hymyilevä mies (The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki)
2016
****
Director: Juho Kuosmanen
Cast: Jarkko Lahti, Oona Airola, Eero Milonoff, John Bosco Jr., Joanna Haartti
In the summer of 1962, Olli Mäki is about to fight for the Featherweight World Championship title in front of 20,000 Finnish fans in Helsinki. His manager would like his protégé to concentrate on training and entertaining his wealthy sponsors, but Olli struggles to focus as he is falling in love. Juho Kuosmanen's feature debut, which is based on real events, is a lovely black and white biopic that steers clear of clichés. This fresh and confidently directed film concentrates on a few weeks in the character's life, and it's all the better for it. The three main actors give wonderful performances.
