Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Armomurhaaja (Euthanizer)
2017
**
Director: Teemu Nikki
Cast: Matti Onnismaa, Hannamaija Nikander, Alina Tomnikov, Jari Virman, Heikki Nousiainen, Ilari Johansson, Santtu Karvonen

Veijo Haukka is a misanthropic car mechanic who runs a side business as a pet euthanizer. When a troubled young man wants to put down his family's dog for financial reasons, events slowly escalate to tragedy. This grim and darkly comic drama offers Finnish miserablism at its purest. It starts with everyone being miserable and ends with everyone being miserable, injured, or dead. Even the first romantic scene ends in a near-death experience. The film would perhaps be more bearable if any of the characters were believable three-dimensional human beings. The performances range from the charismatic (Onnismaa) to the irritating (Virman).