Perhaps because I have never been to Finland, I did not know what to expect about a slice of an ordinary life of a Finnish person. Because of this, even though the movie is very much based on everyday elements, the whole time I felt like I was watching a movie set in a distant mildly-dystopian future (one may say this explains my lack of knowledge on the lives of the blue collar folks). And because of this strange feeling, when the radio in a scene broadcasted news about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was surreal.

This strange feeling didn’t prevent me from understanding what’s at stake in the movie though. The two main working-class characters were struggling in their own ways and their lives were monotonous, difficult, and depressing. But this didn’t stop them to connect with each other, and this is where the essence of the movie lies. The movie wonderfully contrasted their brief smiles and subtle yet longing gazes with the depressing backdrop. Naturally, the small drama between the two in the beginning of the movie felt like a high-stakes events.

I think the movie is ultimately about hope. Unfortunately the majority of our lives is dedicated to work, which is repetitive, boring, depressing, and challenging. But our lives are sprinkled with exciting events like in the movie and that’s what puts smiles on our faces and keeps us moving forward.