Hellsinki

"Happiness, jail or the grave?"

2009 2h 16m FI

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 52

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the mid-1960s, three small-time Finnish bootleggers seize control of their Helsinki neighborhood's black-market liquor business.

“Happiness, jail or the grave?”

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Cast

Samuli Edelmann
Tomppa
Peter Franzén
Krisu
Pihla Viitala
Monika
Kari Hietalahti
Kari
Juha Veijonen
Koistinen
Jasper Pääkkönen
Korppu
Pekka Huotari
Ukin puukottama mies
Kristo Salminen
Arska

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Aleksi Mäkelä
Writers: Marko Leino
Languages: Finnish
Countries: Finland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Aleksi Mäkelä, shot by Pini Hellstedt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Kalle Chydenius. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kimmo Taavila shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Samuli Edelmann and Peter Franzén and Pihla Viitala carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Happiness, jail or the grave?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1227536 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Aleksi Mäkelä directs. Pini Hellstedt behind the camera. Kalle Chydenius scores. Kimmo Taavila cuts. Produced in Finland. Dialogue in Finnish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 17 years ago.
3Directed by Aleksi Mäkelä, shot by Pini Hellstedt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Kalle Chydenius. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Kimmo Taavila shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Samuli Edelmann and Peter Franzén and Pihla Viitala carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Happiness, jail or the grave?".
8IMDB entry: tt1227536 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 52 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.