Joulumaa aka Wonderland, written and directed by Inari Niemi - 8 out of 10

Joulumaa aka Wonderland, written and directed by Inari Niemi

8 out of 10

Joulumaa is an interesting, outre film, although no critic has written a chronicle for it that we could find on IMDB.

Nevertheless, this motion picture has been nominated for four Jussi Awards.

Furthermore, Cinemax 2 has launched in our part of the world, last night!

Given that so many motion pictures have explored familiar and less ordinary themes, from so very different angles, it makes sense for new productions to try to be different.

Even if that could mean bizarre, awkward or hard to connect with the characters and their plight.

The heroine of the feature, Helena, seems to be passed middle age, or at least towards the end of that period, although it is difficult to say where the shifting limits are and will be.

She has waited for Harri, her partner, to return from his escape, the infidelity he has engaged in.

Meanwhile, she appears to try to find some solace in a place in the country, where she becomes intimate with another man, they make love.

While she is out for a party with another, younger woman from this household, they meet three entrepreneurs living nearby.

The younger woman drinks too much, becomes attracted to one of the men from the other group and invites them all to her home, for an after party.

This in spite of the fact that there is a man waiting for her in the same house.

Anyway, along the road on which they intend to walk for ten miles, in the cold, with snow all around, the inebriated woman starts to kiss the stranger.

He says:

I would very much want to fuck you

Well, in about twenty minutes you will be inside me!

Alas, she is sick.

She vomits on the side of the road and the two men and the woman have to abandon their plans for the after party.

The situation is complicated when they return to the house and find Harri waiting for Helena.

Besides, he is pressing her to return with him.

Helena cannot do that, for a few reasons, but most importantly, her younger friend is missing now and they have to try and find her.

Joulumaa is an intriguing, different film from the mainstream genre and much better than Avengers, Fast and the Furious one, two or twenty two.