A Moment in the Reeds

2018 1h 48m FI

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 96

RomanceDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Having moved to Paris for university, Leevi returns to his native Finland for the summer to help his estranged father renovate the family lake house so it can be sold. Tareq, a recent asylum seeker from Syria, has been hired to help with the work, and when Leevi's father has to return to town on business, the two young men establish a connection and embark on a romance set against the idyllic Finnish summer. However, looming over this chance encounter, is the father's imminent return to the lake house, the continuation of Leevi's studies abroad as well as Tareq's complex relationship with his family in Syria.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

YouTubeRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Apple TV StoreBuy

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Cast

Janne Puustinen
Leevi
Boodi Kabbani
Tareq
Mika Melender
Jouko
Virpi Rautsiala
Pirjo

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mikko Mäkelä
Writers: Mikko Mäkelä
Languages: English, 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

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Finnish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mikko Mäkelä, shot by Iikka Salminen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mikko Mäkelä 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

Janne Puustinen and Boodi Kabbani and Mika Melender carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt6256872 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 96 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mikko Mäkelä directs. Iikka Salminen behind the camera. Mikko Mäkelä cuts. Produced in Finland. Dialogue in English, Finnish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 8 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Finnish.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Mikko Mäkelä, shot by Iikka Salminen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Mikko Mäkelä shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Janne Puustinen and Boodi Kabbani and Mika Melender carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt6256872 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 96 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 18 themes, including "immigrant", "lake", "immigration", "sauna".

The technical file

Cinematography: Iikka Salminen
Editing: Mikko Mäkelä
Costume design: Kati Silo
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: FI
IMDB: A Moment in the Reeds (2018)

Also by

Mikko Mäkelä

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-03-27
★ 7/10
To be honest, I was slightly uncomfortable watching this - I felt as if I were intruding on something intimate and private! It's a gentle, enveloping, tale of two men who are working on a dilapidated Finnish summer house. The father of one of the men has to, frequently, leave them to their travails and slowly the two bond. Janne Puustinen is "Leevi", who is studying literature in Paris but has come back for a holiday to help his father restore their property so they can sell it; Boodi Kabbani is "Tareq" - is a Syrian refugee who is engaged as handyman. Their developing relationship is sincere and affectionate - sure, there is passion, but that's not really a focal point of the story. Both characters have baggage, and occasionally the appearance of the father "Jouko" (Mika Melender) serves to focus that. It is erotic, but in a seductive rather than rampant fashion and the beautiful lakeland scenery lends much to the intensity of this love story. I found it to be well paced - it is slow, but not laboured, and there is certainly a chemistry between the two men that makes this a thoroughly engaging film to watch.
kinrich302026-08-30
★ 1/10
This had so much wasted potential, it could have told an interesting story, but instead you sit through 20 minutes of home repairs, then long talks on unrelated topics, so disappointing.