EssenceStory Well Deserved Praise

TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

rven3 Having only just finished watching this film, I can say that I consider it to be the most emotionally authentic story I have viewed in a very long time. This is a truly beautiful film, and I was not in any way distracted by having to follow the story by reading sub-titles. All actors are to be commended for their performances, but special mention must go to child actor Topi Majaniemi for an outstanding performance as Eero, the child who is sent by his Finnish mother to Sweden for the remainder of the war. He is in almost every scene - a big ask for a child - and he never ever wavers; I hope we see more of him in the future.As well as Majaniemi, special mention also must go to Maria Lundqvist, who played the child's troubled foster mother, and also Michael Nyqvist (who can do no wrong IMO) as the kindly, but often out-of-his-depth foster father, and the one to first befriend Eero in his foreign environment. All three actors give such realistic performances that I kept forgetting that I was watching a work of fiction, albeit based upon true stories. I felt that I was being allowed into this private world of these people trying to find their way through a situation none of them asked for, and so I had better be quiet and respectful.And this is beautiful to watch, set chiefly in coastal rural Sweden, complete with rolling green hills and white-washed buildings. Cinematography and Direction of this film as so flawless as to be invisible; the film just flows gently, but is never ever boring.Just one piece of advice........have some tissues handy, as it is an emotional journey, but without any of the emotional manipulation found in many English-speaking movies.I give it 12 stars!

thompsoe Could you ever part with your child due to war? How would you maintain a sense of hope? Klaus Haro's film, Mother Of Mine, depicts an honest and heart wrenching portrayal of the separation of families in Finland during WWII when over 70,000 children were evacuated to neighboring neutral Sweden. For one family, young Eero, played by Topi Majaniemi, is separated from his mother Kirsti, played by Marjaana Maijala, soon after the death of his father and placed with a rural family in Sweden. The host couple, Signe and Hjalmar, played by Maria Lundqvist and Michael Nyqvist, is unprepared for Eero as Signe was secretly hoping to host a young girl, as their daughter drowned only two years before. As Eero misses his mother in Finland, he bonds quickly with Hjalmar much to the immediate dismay of Signe. However, when Eero's mother's situation in Finland suddenly changes, Signe is asked to raise Eero as her own son, prompting a heart rendering attachment that is too good to last.One of the key themes throughout the film is the fluidity and construction of family. Initially, the audience witness Eero's family as three: father, mother, and son. Quickly after the war enters Finland however, Eero's father leaves to join the military and dies in combat. Eero's mother, Kirsti, heartbroken and distraught, then has to abandon her only son and stay alone in Finland. Within the first 20 minutes of the film viewers watch Eero's family shatter into fragmented pieces. When Eero arrives in Sweden he is given a "host mother and father" who act as replacements for the parents he left back home. Eero bonds more quickly with Hjalmar as his father has passed and Hjalmar effectively takes on that fatherly role. Signe, however, remains distant as she mourns the loss of her child and in effect, so does Eero as he still has a mother back in Finland. Over time, Eero loses contact with his birth mother and begins to let Signe into his life and she ultimately does the same. Soon, Eero interacts with Hjalmar and Signe as his parents and they treat him as their son. Family roles become fluid for both parties and the construction of family changes for each party as they need it to.Another unique theme to this film in particular is the dynamic role of language and with it, communication. Mother Of Mine is an example of a film co-production as both Finnish and Swedish languages are utilized. While this draws in a wider Nordic audience, it creates an initial barrier between the characters, as they cannot communicate with each other very effectively. Hjalmar is open to learning Finnish and attempts to memorize Finnish words in the government language book provided, but Signe insists that since Eero is in Finland, he must speak Finnish. By forcing Eero to learn Finnish, Signe puts up a language barrier between the two of them so that she does not have to communicate with Eero as she still mourns the loss of her daughter. When she is ready to accept Eero into her life as her own child, the language barrier between them is broken and she helps instead of criticizing him in his language skills.A final theme centers on the loss of loved ones, most importantly family members. As stated previously, Eero lost his father in the war and Signe and Hjalmar's daughter drowned. Both parties are hesitant to let someone new into those previously lost family roles, but as their relationships develop all three experience what it means to love again. For Eero and Signe, this mother-son relationship becomes a permanent attachment despite some 60 years apart. Later in life Eero tells his birth mother, Kirsti, that she stopped being his mother as soon as he returned to Finland as Signe had taken over that role. It is only upon reflection many years later at Signe's funeral that Eero realizes his love for both his mothers, despite his loss of each one of them at one point.Haro has created a masterpiece with Mother Of Mine and viewers will not be disappointed. Not only is the cinematography stunning, but the soft musical tones and panoramic silences transport audiences back in time. Maria Lundqvist gives an incredible performance as Signe and I hope to see young Topi Majaniemi's face in many future Finnish films. Audiences worldwide will experience true emotion with this film and find connections with it that will tug at one's heartstrings. American cinema has a thing or two to learn from this work of art and I look forward to watching more Haro films in the future.

yossarian100 Klaus Härö has done two films that I've seen, MOTHER OF MINE and ELINA, which are two of my all time favorite movies, and the only other director who has done that is Akira Kurosawa.Few directors are able to show us the unimaginable sense of loss children can sometimes feel the way Klaus Härö can, and do it in such a compelling, honest, and beautiful way.Utilizing great camera work, a stunningly talented group of actors, and a rock solid screenplay, he goes about painting a portrait so real it broke my heart.Almost anyone can put together a list of 'must see' movies, but, as far as I'm concerned, MOTHER OF MINE and ELINA should appear on a 'movies to see before you die' list. They are both THAT good.This is film-making at its finest!!!

Jamester I saw this at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival today to a sell-out crowd with a very engaging Finnish director, Klaus Härö present. This film had real heart and honesty. It can and should be appreciated both in and outside of Scandanavia.The film highlights a significant event in Finnish history -- that during WWII, around 70,000 Finnish children were sent to Sweden among other countries to be temporarily hosted as their real parents stayed in Finland to continue in the war. The story is made accessible and immediate by taking us through the experiences of one child -- Eero (Topi Majaniemi) -- who as a 9-year old boy is dealing with language differences, a desire to return home, and a host family that can provide materially, but maybe not in the non-material ways that Eero really needs.That the film stays true to the viewpoints and desires of the child really makes this movie work. From the opening sequences, the warring environment was clear. As the movie continued, the sense of the unknown, a certain amount of foreboding and the ever-present desire to connect with family was also subtly introduced to give a very full sense of the conflict within this child's mind. The soundtrack nicely complemented everything the movie was going for. This is a great total package with a movie that is assured, concise and crafted from a very fine director. This film gets my recommendation. Moreover, I'm very much looking forward to seeing the next film from this decidedly capable director!