Hella W

"One Woman. Many Truths."

2011 1h 22m FI

💀

4.7

SKIP

⭐

5.3

IMDB

★4.7TMDB · 12★5.3IMDB · 386

DramaHistory

Synopsis

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The life of a heroine. The life and work of Hella Wuolijoki. A poet, spy and millionaire, she turned into an internationally acclaimed businesswoman, politician and playwright, who collaborated with Europe's leading writers such as Bertolt Brecht and Maxim Gorky, but faced the harshness of a changing world as the Finnish, Soviet and British secret services focus on her life, family and work.

“One Woman. Many Truths.”

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Cast

Tiina Weckström
Hella Wuolijoki
Hannu-Pekka Björkman
Valtiollisen poliisin etsivä
Matleena Kuusniemi
Vappu Tuomioja, o.s. Wuolijoki
Maria Heiskanen
Kerttu Nuorteva, "Elina Sigrid Hämäläinen"
Antti Litja
Raivio
Pirkka-Pekka Petelius
Eino Salmelainen
Svante Martin
Väinö Tanner
Petri Manninen
Sulo Ilmiö Wuolijoki

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Juha Wuolijoki
Writers: Outi Nyytäjä
Languages: English, Russian, Finnish, Swedish
Countries: Estonia, 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

RUNTIME

Did you know

82 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Russian, Finnish, Swedish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Estonia, Finland.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Juha Wuolijoki, shot by Peter Flinckenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Juha Wuolijoki directs. Peter Flinckenberg behind the camera. Panu Aaltio scores. Harri Ylönen cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Estonia, Finland. Dialogue in English, Russian, Finnish, Swedish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

182 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Released 15 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Russian, Finnish, Swedish.
5International production across 2 countries: Estonia, Finland.
6Directed by Juha Wuolijoki, shot by Peter Flinckenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Panu Aaltio. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Harri Ylönen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Tiina Weckström and Hannu-Pekka Björkman and Matleena Kuusniemi carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "One Woman. Many Truths.".
11IMDB entry: tt1382722 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Only 12 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.