It doesn’t happen often but, sometimes, when you sit down to watch a movie, you know right away that it’s going to be good. It’s hard to pinpoint where that feeling comes from but this little movie from Finland serves it up in spades.
Little Wing tells the story of 12-year-old Varpu, who’s quickly growing to adulthood, and her mother, who is struggling to grow up. Varpu lives with her mother but has never met her father. One night she comes across some hidden mementos of her father and after some unsatisfactory answers about him from Siru. She steals a car and drives up north in search of her father, who she only knows the name. But her father is not exactly what she had expected.
Little Wing comes from the production company, Making Movies, who’s film The Fencer was a Golden Globe nominee earlier this year and was also shortlisted for an Oscar. Making Movies is based in Helsinki and, since 1996, the company has produced eight feature films and more than 40 documentaries, short films and tv-dramas.
Selma Vilhunen (born 1976) is a Finnish film maker. Vilhunen and fellow producer Kirsikka Saari received an Academy Awards nomination in the category of Best Live Action Short Film for the 2013 film Do I Have to Take Care of Everything? Before taking on Little Wing, Vilhunen had directed five films though Little Wing is her first feature length one. Vilhunen describes the film as an intense emotional journey and a “deeply personal film”. “Lots of the emotions that I put into the story are things I’ve gone through,“ she says.
This is the first film for lead actress, Linnea Skog and is definitely a breakout roll for her. Skog’s ability to portray a young girl who’s forced to act beyond her age is what really sells the movie. She is a natural talent and her acting abilities are far beyond what would expect from someone of her age. She definitely has a successful acting career ahead of her. The role of Varpu’s mother is played by Paula Vesala. Vesala is a Finnish singer, actress and a playwright. Rounding out the lead cast is Lauri Maijala who plays Varpu’s father, Varpun. Maijala portrayal of “eccentric” Varpun leaves the audience feeling both uncomfortable and sympathetic.
One of the best things about this movie is the acting. The cast is solid and each actor steps up to the plate. Each character is intricate and the portrayals by Skog, Vesala, Maijala, and the supporting actors honour that. The cinematography is spectacular featuring great shots that truly capture the loneliness and isolation Varpu must feel as she’s forced to pick up the pieces every time her mother has one of her breakdowns.
Written by Kevin Joseph
