Ota minut syliin (Take Me in Your Arms) September 9, 2007

A double bill of films by Rostislav Aalto, showing 8. - 12.9. and 16. - 17.9.2007, at 18:00.

Andorra Cinema, Eerikinkatu 11, Helsinki
Tickets 7€, reductions 5€

The first documentary is Mongolialainen itlapäivä (Mongolian Evening).
In Mongolian with Finnish subtitles, 25 minutes.

The main feature is Ota minut syliin (Take Me in Your Arms).
In Finnish with English subtitles, 82 minutes.

Certificate K-11

A local melody rings out in Restaurant Populus: a courtship song, triumphant music or a lamentation? There's sadness in joy.

The viewer is able to observe an inhabitant of one of Helsinki's districts, Kallio: a 30-year-old man on the verge of alcoholism. The documentary follows his life and anxieties for several years. The New Years spent in public sauna in Harju, Helsinki, always appear fresh, but some things remain. Watching life pass by and life's meaninglessness play the leading role in his existence. Only singing, whether it's drunken, out of tune or anxious, preserves its meaning. One needs to express emotions, to let them come out.

What exactly changes during the years? In the alcohol-obfuscated reality stability is an illusion. Relationships are there for one to mirror one's anxiety, escape into or blame, but what does change ultimately require? It's not about the empty bottles that fill up the kitchen, but instead about the meaning of life, or about how difficult it is to find it.

The cat has become claustrophobic in the chaotic apartment, and is taken to a park: this becomes a metaphor for relieving anguish. But when the cat wants back into its carrier from the surprising jungle of the park, what does it stand for? Should things just be acknowledged and accepted as they are? Ending a relationship can be a step out of anxiety - or then the solution is elsewhere.

The presence of friends provides a chance for discussion, and even though the circumstances of his life seem normal, the protagonist feels bad. Work, an apartment, friends and drinking binges bring no peace. What will?

What if anxiety is within, a characteristic created by our time, and just needs to be understood? The protagonist cleans up his apartment: there's a craving for going forward. Yet his inner claustrophobia echoes in his speech. Should it be denied and overruled? Or should it be listened to as if it was a karaoke tune? Take Me in Your Arms probably asks whether anxiety is a trend or a product of the surroundings.

Director: Rostislav Aalto
Photography: Rostislav Aalto, Petri Kiljunen
Editing: Rostislav Aalto, Riitta Poikselkä
Sound: Heikki Innanen
Producer: Rostislav Aalto / Zen Media
Music: Timi Hagelberg, Viktor Sobolenko