The River

Director: Jarmo Lampela
Cast: Sanna Hietla, Antti Ikkala, Jyri Ojansivu
Country: Finland
Runtime: 104’
Language: Finish with English subtitles
Year: 2001

A film whose multiple narratives are set over the course of one hour of one Saturday in a small town is anchored by two key events: the sound of a military plane breaking the sound barrier early one Saturday morning, and a group of kids bungee-jumping in the town square. For the kids involved, this activity represents an act of bravado, but the film's true focus is on other characters, who must consider much more significant and courageous leaps of faith.

The River opens with Anni’s attempt to commit suicide in a river while holding her baby. Two teenagers intervene setting in motion five interweaving stories. The first concerns a messed up teenager named Santtu who struggles to decide whether or not to make a bungee jump reflecting his struggle for self-acceptance. The second focuses on Esa, a financially destitute folk singer who is trying to make peace with his estranged father. Leena, a pizza parlour waitress, is the subject of the third story; after stirring up trouble by arriving late to work one day, she makes amends by fixing two of her co-workers up on a date. The last stories are of Ilpo, whose marriage is coming undone, and Milja, a woman who is tending to her dying husband.