Movies by Pirjo Honkasalo

Two Forces

Two Forces

Docudrama about the Soviet occupation of a Finnish village in the fall before the Winter War.

Fire-Eater

Fire-Eater

The twin sisters Helena and Irene are born in Helsinki during World War II. A few months later their mother, Sirkka, leaves the girls in the care of their grandmother, an old communist, and runs away with a German soldier. Their life under the protection of their grandmother and the teachings of communism ends first with the death of Stalin, then with that of their grandmother. The girls are eight years old when they are put in an orphanage. Their mother shows up at the orphanage in the company of Ramon, a Spanish trapeze artist. They are on...

The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth

The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth

Tanjuska and the 7 Devils

Tanjuska and the 7 Devils

A documentary about Tanjuska who is a 12-year-old White-Russian schoolgirl, with a face like an icon. Two years ago she stopped eating, then talking and finally she stopped growing. The village priest in Estonia has explained to the family that seven devils have made a home inside Tanjuska. These devils are giving her orders and only a daily ceremony can force the devils to leave the girl.

Concrete Night

Concrete Night

A 14-year-old boy in a stifling Helsinki slum takes some unwise life lessons from his soon-to-be-incarcerated older brother.

Mysterion

Mysterion

A documentary about a convent of Russian Orthodox nuns in Estonia who have dedicated their lives to serving God.

ITO – A Diary of an Urban Priest

ITO – A Diary of an Urban Priest

A biographical documentary following the life of a young Japanese priest and bar-owner.

Atman

Atman

The final film in The Trilogy of the Sacred and the Satanic, Atman is a spectacular epic across India, all documented on stunning 35mm. When his mother dies, a devout Hindu man named Jamana Lal begins a 3,000-mile journey in her honor. The destination is the holy city of Haridwar, but to get there, Lal, a 35-year-old whose legs have been paralyzed since childhood, must travel up the Ganges River. He is joined by his brother and his wife as well as by director Pirjo Honkasalo and her small, intrepid crew. Midway through, a miracle occurs, as ...