A Summer by the River (1998)

Original title

Kuningasjätkä

Directed by

Markku Pölönen

Genre

drama film

Country

Finland

Runtime

1h 25m

Rated

S

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 18 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

After his wife dies, a father and his young son lose their home and spend a summer working as lumberjacks on a river in 1950s Finland. They sleep on the riverbank and rebuild their relationship through the hard work and shared experiences.

melancholicgentlenostalgicearthyslow-pacedintimatebittersweetwarm

What happens

A Summer by the River (Finnish: Kuningasjätkä) is a 1998 Finnish film written and directed by Markku Pölönen. The film is set in the 1950s Eastern Finland and tells the story of father Tenho (Pertti Koivula) and son Topi (Simo Kontio) after Tenho's wife — Topi's mother — dies and leaves the two men unable to pay rent. The two men move out of the family home and spend the summer working as lumberjacks in log driving, sleeping on the riverbank and growing closer together through the experience. The film was a major success at the 1999 Jussi Awards winning in five categories including Best Film, Best Actor and Best Direction. The film was selected as the Finnish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Academy Awards but was not accepted as a nominee. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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