Father’s Day (1h 39min.)

Thirteen-year-old Aava and Iines have never known their father, and press their mother for answers. Digging up old photo albums and address books, they find a lead. Their search brings them to a Salvation Army shelter, where they come face-to-face with two friends, Veikko and Tinke. Veikko lovingly cares for Tinke, who is bound to a wheelchair as a result of a stroke. While the twins' mother desperately stalls for time, Veikko attempts to keep the peace, and as Tinke's health rapidly deteriorates, a spark of hope to be a father ignites within him. But is it possible to forge a close bond this late in life? And what if your father in reality is completely different from the person you expected or hoped for? Without shying away from discomfort and difficult themes, Father’s Day offers immense tenderness and vulnerability, with love — and the search for it — taking center stage.

Father’s Day comes from the mind of award-winning Finnish director Aleksi Salmenperä, whose films have previously been selected for the Berlinale, the San Sebastián Film Festival, and HotDocs. Notably, non-professional lead actor Tomi Lindfors is no stranger to alcoholism and has suffered a stroke in real life, which brings him very close to the character of Tinke. Equally remarkable: the role of Veikko is played by Tommi Korpela, who in real life has been friends with Lindfors for fifty years. The 13-year-old twins are portrayed by real-life sisters Varpu and Vilja Rintanen, who deliver a wonderful performance.