The best Mari Rantasila’s movies

An episode in the life of Nikander, a garbage man, involving the death of a co-worker, an affair and much more.

A bizarre black-and-white film noir reworking of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.

Calamari Union is an allegorical movie that tells the story of sixteen men all of whom are called Frank (inspired by Frank Armoton) apart from a single confrere, Pekka. Collectively the Franks and Pekka are unhappy with the perceived oppression they face in their district of Helsinki, Kallio, and decide to move to another, Eira, imagining it to be an unspoiled place where people can live lives of dignity. The journey is an ironic one given that both districts are not so far apart. In this spirit, their journey across the city takes on epic proportions with each of the travellers gradually falling by the wayside due to such travails as marriage, work, and death. In its entirety the film is a wry discussion of humanity within a system that regards humans as subservient components.

Recently divorced Helena is getting anxious about spending christmas alone. Her best friend invites her to spend old time christmas on a farm - only place they can afford.

The year is 1984. It's summer, and the rebellious 12-year-old girl Kid wants to stay in Gothenburg, but her mother has other plans. Kid discovers that summer vacation in Finland isn't as bad as first feared. In a few hot weeks she discovers her dawning sexuality, and experience her first crush.

A young and ambitious civil servant Jussi finds himself being in charge of the environmental permit of a huge nickel and uranium mine in Northern Finland. The Talvivaara mine, led by a charismatic globe trotting visioner Pekka Perä is introducing an entirely new method of collecting minerals whilst creating jobs in one of the poorest areas in Scandinavia. Jussi slowly discovers that he has been led astray by several people and that the new method has serious downsides he did not forsee. The mine is causing environmental hazards that are being hushed down. A new application for another permit is brough to his table by the same mine. Along with the application comes an interesting job offer and a chance of a new beginning. Jussi has to decide whether he will play along and if so, with whom.

In the 1930s, middle-aged museum curator Tauno Saarinen yearns for a young beautiful maid and writes a lengthy confession about his feelings which he gives his wife Elisabet to read. Elisabet shows the writings to her husband's sister Naimi, an art critic who tries to reconcile with her ex-husband despite a spiteful mother-in-law. Meanwhile, things gets worse between Tauno and Elisabet when the young maid, seduced by Tauno, becomes pregnant. Based on a novel by Helvi Hämäläinen, first published in 1941 but partly censored until 1995 because allegedly based on true incidents involving well-known people.

Mervi is a gay girl living in the hipster quarters of Helsinki. She has been together with Kata for a year, and now they are encouraged by the circumstances to come out from closet. When they do, Mervi realises that she is not the only one in her family with secrets – her parents have been living in an open-bisexual-swinger-relationship for 20 years. On the other hand Kata is pretty surprised that she might be living with a hetero girl that once was dating a neo-nazi. And the ex-boy friend cannot swallow that Mervi is now with a person both of wrong color, and sex. The real threat appears when Kata’s parents arrive from Berlin and the local skinhead chief finds out that a black muslim celebrity politician has arrived to town.

Aimo and Milla are living together at Milla's alcoholics-turned-zombies parents' place. They save money to move out of the house. Due to his lack of self confidence, Aimo wastes their savings to turbo-boost his muscles. As conventional body building is not quite satisfactory, Aimo tunes himself up into a robot. Milla doesn't like the new Aimo-Robot and leaves him. Aimo´s heartache leads him to extreme measures as he also changes his heart into a metal one, one that doesn't hurt. Milla decides to steal Aimo heart: after all, a woman needs to have a man´s heart. Lovemilla is an anarchistic comedy trip, a comedy about love, a story about love, robots and bodybuilding.

Raid is a mysterious drifter and ex-criminal who comes and goes as he pleases. He has been away from the country for an extended period of time but learns on his return that his ex-girlfriend Tarja has presumably died in a fire that he soon discovers was a larceny. He is also contacted by inspector Jansson, who he knows from the past regarding the murder of a protestor. Raid begins his investigation and soon finds that there's more to the cases than meets the eye.. This movie is a sequel to the very popular Raid TV series.

Kiia and Lauri, speeding toward the hospital overnight. Kiia in pain, holding the wheel with one hand and another in his stomach - the birth has started ahead of schedule. Surprisingly, the vehicle collides with something. Kiia fright and brakes, the car swerves before coming to a stop. Lauri rises to the car to check the situation and says he did not see anything. Kiia give birth to a healthy child in the hospital and befriends Hannah with. Hanna's husband has been in the same region hit by a car and drove onto the driver fled from the scene.

Pony and Birdboy tells a story of seven-year-old girl Pony, who doesn’t want to go to school, and big-mouthed Birdboy who has solution to all possible problems. Humoristic family-film Pony and Birdboy is partly based on Veera Salmi’s popular children’s book The Book of Pony and Birdboy, which rich humor and anarchist hustle have brought the book as a favorite of children.

An ordinary suburban family is shattered when their youngest son is killed in an accidental fire while locked inside the family's car on their yard. Mother Marja can't stop crying, father Jaakko can't cry at all but blames himself for the fire. Their remaining son Timo develops problems at school because of his constant worries about his parents' safety. In their grief, Marja and her sister Leena have to confront an old family secret, their little sister's accidental death for which Leena has quietly blamed herself through decades.