Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Good
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	Quirky, funny, different
Disadvantages:	Won't be for everyone

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Valto is bored of life. His mother is driving him mad, especially when she won't buy coffee to feed his addiction, and he wants a bit of excitement. Locking his mother in a closet and taking best friend Reino along with him, he decides to go on a road trip, fuelled by coffee (for Valto), alcohol (for Reino) and presumably petrol (for the car). Then they pick up two Russian women, Tatiana and Klaudia, who are on their way to Tallinn. The women obviously think they've pulled - but Valto and Reino seem strangely reluctant to get close to them, or even have a conversation with them, even when they share bedrooms. Are the women nothing but a brief glimpse into the life that the two men could have? Or will their relationships develop into something more?

This Finnish-language film is directed by Aki Kaurismaki and was made in 1994. As I have never seen either a Finnish-language film or anything directed by Kaurismaki, this was very much a first for me. However, having been good friends with a bunch of Finnish people, I did expect it to be quirky and something a little bit different from your average Hollywood film. And it certainly is that. Even better, it is actually quite funny - Kaurismaki is apparently not well known for his comedies, but this is one of the handful he made, and so for anyone new to the director, this is a good place to start.

There are two things that make this immediately different from most other films (apart from the fact that it is Finnish!). The first is that, although it was made in 1994, it is in black and white. To begin with, I thought the film was much older than it was, partly because of this and partly because it is set in the 1950s. The other thing is that it is incredibly short at just an hour. These days, it seems to be generally accepted that a film should be at least an hour and a half, with directors sometimes padding out the story to make the length. In this case, it is extremely refreshing to see that the Kaurismaki hasn't conformed - as far as I am concerned, this film is perfect at this length.

The humour in the film is most definitely dead-pan. It wasn't immediately obvious to me that it was funny - it took a while of getting used to the characters before I realised that their behaviour wasn't just strange, it was humorous. However, the humour doesn't come from the lines - in fact the actors don't really talk all that much. A large part of the film involves the camera singling out Valto and Reino and their separate drinking habits. This doesn't sound very entertaining, but it is, because their shy, clumsy behaviour around the woman is both sweet and convincing, and very watchable.

The men, Mato Valtonen, who plays Valto, and Matti Pellonpaa, who plays Reino, are definitely the highlight of the film - which is incredible when you consider that they don't say very much and their facial expressions barely change from awkward and slightly sad. Reino is the most amusing; he drinks a lot - in fact, he is rarely seen without alcohol, and this makes him a bit more demonstrative than Valto - that is when he isn't comatose. Valto is actually a very sad character. He is clearly hen-pecked and miserable, but can't see a way out of the trap. His expression becomes sadder and sadder during the course of the film and adds a bittersweet layer to the film. Both actors are great, managing to convey so much through body language rather than words or facial expressions.

The two women also give good performances. Kati Outinen plays Tatiana and Kirsi Tykkyläinen plays Klaudia. Klaudia initially seems to be the stronger of the two - she is certainly the loudest and wears the most provocative clothing. Tatiana does emerge from beneath her scarf during the course of the film though, and although obviously slightly bewildered by the men's behaviour, she is the one who works to get a reaction, albeit subtely. There is much more in the way of facial expression from her - it is clear from her face exactly how she is feeling, and it is done very convincingly. Klaudia is louder and brasher, so the nuances of her performance are thrust in our faces - it is still an entertaining role though.

I can imagine that two things will put a lot of people off this film. Firstly, it is in Finnish, and therefore has subtitles. Secondly, it is in black and white. I had absolutely no problem with the subtitles, and in any case, in this film, there isn't all that much conversation. The black and white makes it look very much like an art-house film, which again, I didn't mind, but I'm sure some will be scared away. I don't know why the director decided to make the film black and white in the first place; however, it really does suit the film, which is set in the 1950s and is very much character-driven - I often think that it is easier to capture people's feelings better in black and white than in colour, simply because there is little in the way of background distraction.

It is worth mentioning the music, simply because it is very rock and roll and, because Reino fancies himself as a bit of a teddy boy, it does become a focus point to the film. I loved the fact that Valto had turned his car into a mini entertainment system, complete with a working record player. Some of the music is Finnish, but much of it is in English.

There are no extras with the DVD.

This is a really quirky little film that I found very entertaining. It has certainly whetted my appetite for more of Aki Kaurismaki's films. I like to be stimulated by film, and sticking to one genre and one language bores me. This took me out of my comfort zone and provided me with something to think about. It might not be a film for a Friday evening with friends and a pizza, but it is worth a watch if you are sick of the usual Hollywood-style film. Recommended.

The DVD is available as a separate disc from Amazon for £22.99. However, it is worth noting that it is one of a collection of three Kaurismaki films, which can be bought for £17.98.

Classification:

Running time: 60 minutes