We spoke with Jalmari Helander, director of the bloody ‘Sisu’, the film that enlivens theaters: “it creates an atmosphere like a rock concert.”
Bloody, wild and daring, this brutal return to the action of yesteryear won half a prize list at the 2022 Sitges Festival, including Best Film, and is turning movie theaters into a party. We took advantage of its premiere to speak with the director of ‘Sisu’, the shocking gore film that will remind you of ‘The Revenant’ and ‘Inglourious Basterds’.
And it is that the plot of ‘Sisu’ takes us to the north of Finland during the last days of the Second World War. There, a lone gold prospector crosses paths with retired Nazis. When his shiny cargo is stolen they will discover the meaning of “sisu”, a term that in Finnish describes an unimaginable form of courage and determination in the face of overwhelming odds.
“A new myth of film violence on a par with his contemporary John Wick and, by the way, a nice reminder about how to treat Nazis“, we pointed out in our review of ‘Sisu’, the new film by Jalmari Helander, the Finn responsible for the acclaimed ‘Rare Exports: A Thug Christmas Story’ (2010) and the curious ‘Big Game’ (2014) that, now , gives us an enthusiastic interview at the reception of his brutal title, straight to the list of the best action movies of the 21st century.
The shows of ‘Sisu’ in Sitges were a party, did you expect this enthusiastic reception from the public?
“The truth is that no. I knew that we had been lucky to make a good film, but I did not know to what extent until we saw it with audiences in Toronto and Sitges. Now I have seen it in many places and it is wild how much it people seem to like it, it creates a rock concert vibe or something, it’s very satisfying to be there and see for yourself.”
Where did this idea to make such a gritty action movie come from?
“It’s been my dream since I was a kid. Probably after seeing ‘Cornered.’ R-rated movie like this, we were able to do what we wanted and I had a lot of fun with it.”
Why is it so hard to see movies as free as this one on the big screen?
“I really don’t know, it seems like only the biggest movies make it to big screens. It’s a shame because when you shoot you think about the scope of the landscape in a room, and how it sounds. I pay a lot of attention to the construction of all sections of the film to show in a movie theater. I’m very happy that ‘Sisu’ is now in theaters all over the world. It’s really great.”
You mentioned ‘Acorralado’, what other titles did you have in mind when preparing ‘Sisu’?
“I had everything on my mind. It’s hard to pinpoint the number of action movies I’ve seen in my life, especially how I enjoyed all those ’80s and ’90s action movies. I think they were better than the movies we’re on.” doing now, it would be nice to go back to that time where not everything is CGI.
Maybe something has already changed, ‘Sisu’ is a good sample.
“Hopefully, maybe it’s changing. I don’t know, but I hope so.”
Were there any particularly complex scenes to shoot in ‘Sisu’?
“There was a lot of complicated stuff. Especially in the third act, in the episode called ‘Kill ‘Em All,’ where we have a lot of moving vehicles, stunts and cameras. And we have the plane, the whole plane thing… The plane sequence, yeah, that was really hard to do, but I’m lucky in how well it turned out.”
The protagonist is a hero from another era and Jorma Tommila is perfect in the role, did you write it with him in mind?
“Yeah, it was my only option, I’m not even sure what I would have done if somehow I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have a back plan, I’m lucky I got it.”
Can you tell us about any plans for the future? Are you already working on your next film?
“Well, I don’t know if I can say much. We have a sci-fi movie on our hands, producer Petri Jokiranta and I. I could start shooting it this year. And at the same time I’m writing a new action movie. In the spirit of’ Sisu’, in a way.”
Surely you’ve already received some calls from Hollywood, will you try to export this return of the action of yesteryear to the industry that created it?
“It’s true that I do have some Hollywood shots, and there are a couple of really interesting ones, I don’t know what I’ll do. But it would definitely be something with a lot of action. I’m sure of that, don’t worry.”
Source: Fotogramas
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
