Tom of Finland (2017)

Directed by: Dome Karukoski | 116 minutes | biography, drama | Actors: Pekka Strang, Jakob Oftebro, Jessica Grabowsky, Lauri Tilkanen, Jimmy Shaw, Werner Daehn, Jan Böhme, Seumas F. Sargent, Þorsteinn Bachmann, Kari Hietalahti

‘Tom of Finland’ is a visually pleasing, rippling biopic with an interesting subject matter, or so it seems. Is artist and main character Touko Laaksonen (1920-1991), responsible for the classic representation of homoeroticism in ‘iconic drawings’, perhaps more boring than expected, or is it the film itself? Homosexuality in WWII, that doesn’t have to be boring; it’s even an exciting combination with all those leather uniforms. Or is that again a prejudice? And then explain to each other how difficult it is to practice a forbidden manner: we kind of miss the tension that must have been part of that.

You notice, as a white straight man we get confused; we may not be able to easily get into the subject. The acting is done with conviction in the English language ‘Tom of Finland’, including by lead actor Pekka Strang; this product has enough makers passion in it, but where is the sparkling story that transcends the theme? A recurring film problem in 2018, with all those niches that demand attention. We are increasingly moving towards target group culture; that will have contributed to the drop in ratings for the Oscars, no matter how well-crafted and unique the nominated films may be.

Well, grandpa has spoken again; now back to ‘Tom of Finland’, that which darts through Laaksonen’s life. ‘With his homoerotic art, he made an essential contribution to the emancipation of gays in the twentieth century’, it reads. Oh yeah? Laaksonen remains an enigma in this film; perhaps that is peculiar to Finns. On the other hand, the film has a special, soft sincerity and filtered, impressionistic atmosphere that can certainly inspire more people than just the target audience. You must be willing to keep looking at this idyll full of beautiful men; then you feel – even when there is snow, the sizzle of spring, a season to everyone’s liking.