Movies | “Considering the nuclear family as sacred causes a lot of pain,” says Aleksi Salmenperä, whose acclaimed new film is about a family crisis

Every the teenager’s parent recognizes the situation.

In a public place, the teenager manages to screw up everything: say hello to acquaintances stupidly, talk too much and otherwise be embarrassing in every way.

The father of three children, a film director, has also noticed this Aleksi Salmenperä.

“Teenagers are often quite conservative in relation to their own parents, no matter how cosmopolitan and liberal they are otherwise. As if the humanity of parents is something that should to hide completely,” says Salmenperä.

In his recent film Bubble he gives the perspective of a 16-year-old girl who has to question the relationship her parents consider happy.

It’s a weekday morning In Karkkila and Salmenperä, you can tinker in the kitchen of an old detached house by yourself. One of his children has already moved away from home, the middle one will start the army in January and the youngest is going to high school in Helsinki. Also spouse, documentary director Mia Halme is in Helsinki shooting his upcoming film.

Salmenperä cuts a bun on the table and says that in his work he often deals with themes that are close to him, ones that he imagines he knows something about.

The bubble too building materials were found nearby. Salmenperä, who lived in Karkkila for more than 15 years, wanted to photograph small-town life and adolescence, before he was too old to photograph it.

Now finished Bubblein the movie, the parents are allowed to be in the yard and unfinished. The teenager who follows his parents’ groping, on the other hand, imagines that he is the “reasonable” party who tries to take control of the situation.

A teenager living in his sensitive bubble has to prove his parents’ humanity, even if he doesn’t want to.

“The main character has to realize that parents are people too and they don’t have everything in order as he thought. He begins to manipulate his parents because he fears that he himself has failed if his parents are imperfect and unsuccessful in their love.”

Although the subject of the film may sound dark, there is a lot of humor and warmth in Salmenperä’s portrayal of people. It is also very relatable to anyone who has ever lived in a family – that is, to all of us.

Worked as a pair of screenwriters for Salmenperä Reeta the Swede, who wanted to bring a younger woman’s point of view into the story. He was found along Minna Haapkylän through networks. In the film, Haapkylä plays the role of a mother who falls in love with another woman, and she also produced the film.

It is often thought that the morals of the filmmakers force their way through the end result. However, Salmenperä and Ruotsalainen have not consciously written I’m in a bubble nothing to say, even if they flag for tolerance and mercy.

“I can’t give advice on how easily people should divorce or not divorce. It is certainly much more essential that if we divorce, human relationships would not be completely severed. That some kind of sense of security and continuity would be preserved and not completely disappear from the children’s lives.”

Salmenperän Bubble nor is it a statement against or in favor of the nuclear family, although the film nicely reflects the breakdown of the family institution. It was more important for Salmenpera to show the young person’s perspective on what he believes to be the best option for a family and finally letting go of this idea.

“I think that the nuclear family is still one possible pattern, but keeping it sacred seems like a really outdated idea. Keeping it sacred also causes a lot of pain and problems in families,” he reflects.

“For me, a film is successful if it helps the viewer, even to some extent, to place themselves in this chaos that is life.”

From the strait I became a film director by accident.

He was already studying to be an architect in his third year, when he began to doubt whether he was in the right field after all.

“The profession of an architect felt a bit lonely, and on a spur of the moment I did preliminary assignments for the Art Industry film line,” he says.

Now he has made eight feature films and has been awarded Four Jussi and twice Golden Venla.

The director highlights some of his own works A man’s work (2007), because he feels that he has found his own creativity and an honest, uncalculated approach to making. In the movie Tommi Korpelan the man presented becomes unemployed and drifts to a dating service as a companion.

In Helsingin Sanomat’s review Man’s work was included among the best domestic films of the decade, and the movie received 11 Jussi nominations.

Second in the latest Vacuum– film, according to Salmenperä, the same thing was that he didn’t think about the reception of the film at all. The film about the relationship between a writer and an actor and their mutual career competition was filmed for several years among a group of friends. The project had no funding, and the director-writer himself did not know if the film would ever be finished.

“When you give yourself permission that nothing will necessarily come of this, then you don’t put the brakes on the content terribly either. Then it became really funny,” he says of the film, which was awarded at the Jussi gala for best film, direction, editing and sound design.

Already he can say that from the new Bubble-film, the biggest impression on his mind will be left by the young lead actor Stella Leppikorpi. Leppikorpi jumped into the main role with less than two weeks’ notice, and no one could predict in advance what kind of talent he would reveal.

“Even though Stella had already been good in test shoots, everyone was still surprised by how easily and sensitively and intensely she was able to be in front of the camera. I got the feeling that this is probably how great movie stars have been born in their time, ones whose magic only appears through the lens of the camera. “

Very often when talking about Salmenperä, his skill as a personal trainer is brought up. That’s why it’s a little surprising that he himself at least describes himself as antisocial rather than outgoing.

“However, I always come alive on set. During filming, I get excited and can tune myself into a state where decisions are surprisingly easy to make.”

Bubble calmness, confidence and clarity were especially important during the filming, as there were young actors involved.

“To Tommi Korpela, I can mutter something indistinctly, but with young people I express myself more clearly.”

Sammenperä became a father at a young age and he believes that it has had a big influence on his authorship and also on the content of his films.

“When we were expecting our first child, I just knew that the person I had met was the kind of person who wouldn’t scare me.”

In the artistic film industry, the relationship of the young couple was not given a long life, because it was thought that the union of two directors could not last – directors are always so self-centered. However, the same profession has been a strength in the relationship between Salmenperä and Halme.

Salmenperä and Halme help each other when necessary and comment on each other’s texts and plans.

“I always listen seriously to what Mia tells me and then in the next meeting I often present them as my own thoughts, because it would sound silly to say that I always do as my spouse suggests,” Salmenperä laughs.

In terms of the relationship, it has probably also been a good thing that they don’t work on exactly the same plot, when one makes documentaries, the other fiction.

Artists The couple ended up favoring Karkkila almost by chance about 17 years ago. Salmenperä and Halme, who lived in the center of Helsinki, became anxious when the child cycled in a small circle in the cramped courtyard and dreamed of a home in the distance of Sipo or Porvoo. However, in Karkkila, an old wooden house and a garden with apple trees were found.

“When we heard that Aki Kaurismäki lives next door to us, it was even a little embarrassing. But the neighborhood has gone well: Akille has agreed that we have spread out on his side too with plant boxes and children’s futsal goals.”

Salmenperä feels longingly about a home empty of children. According to him, life was “a hell of a lot” more fun – albeit more difficult – when the children were small. On the other hand, as a busy person, his time is never long. Salmenperä likes running and fly fishing. Often on a shopping trip, he stops for a moment to throw a fly at the bank of the river that runs through Karkkila.

Salmenperän the film leaves open how the relationship between the family’s parents is. Salmenperä’s own relationship, on the other hand, has worked all these years, because the couple working as freelancers has been able to be flexible and they have been able to react to each other’s distress if work has been pressing.

“We’ve survived all this chaos and these crazy professions just fine. The joy and love that the children have brought to our lives is a great force that holds us together.”