Movies by Juhani Niemelä

Routasydän

Routasydän

In this gloomy scenario about Finland's upcoming membership in the European Union, the country has become a poor peripheral area plagued by energy shortages and civil wars. Escaping the city to his summer cottage with his children and a lady next door, a divorced university teacher is forced to pick up a young delirious woman from the roadside. He soon falls in love with her, only to find out she is a sought-after deserter from a violent guerilla army.

Falling Angels

Falling Angels

The daughter of two famous writers, Helena upholds her late father's reputation, reciting his poems on various occasions and cherishing the memory of the legend. Relations with her mother have deteriorated since she moved to Sweden. Helena blames her mother for abandoning her father. Helena and her mother meet again as Helena's mental health deteriorates and in order to cope, she must face reality through her mother's memoirs. Helena becomes intensely involved in the story and relives it by imagining herself in her mother's place.

Umur

Umur

Ensimmäinen Joulupuu

Ensimmäinen Joulupuu

About a boy who wants to bring a Christmas tree into his house for the first time.

The Man Without a Past

The Man Without a Past

Arriving in Helsinki, a nameless man is beaten within an inch of his life by thugs, miraculously recovering only to find that he has completely lost his memory. Back on the streets, he attempts to begin again from zero, befriending a moody dog and becoming besotted with a Salvation Army volunteer.

Tilinteko

Tilinteko

Two men, Nieminen and Varjola, commit a mail van robbery. Varjola betrays his friend: shoots him and takes the loot. Nieminen is arrested, but he refuses to reveal his accomplice's name. On his first leave on prison Nieminen finds Varjola in a small town, where he has became the mayor. Varjola, of course, is shocked to see his old friend again.