Tom of Finland

Director: Dome Karukoski

2017, Finland/Sweden/Denmark/Germany, 117 min

Cast: Pekka Strang, Lauri Tilkanen, Jessica Grabowsky, Jakob Oftebro

 

(2017, Finland-Sweden-Denmark-Germany) Directed by Dome Karukoski. Screenplay by Aleksi Bardy. Cast: Pekka Strang, Lauri Tilkanen, Jessica Grabowsky, Jakob Oftebro.

OutFilm CT Second Thursdays presents a delightfully transgressive new film about a real-life gay hero: artist Touko Laaksonen, who signed his erotic paintings of leather-and-uniform-clad men as ‘Tom of Finland.’ After fighting in World War II, Laaksonen (Pekka Strang) returns to Helsinki, only to realize that life for gay men in Finland is still restricted and dangerous. Living with his uptight sister Kaija (Jessica Grabowsky), Tom secretly sketches the men he desires. And as he finds love with a shy dancer (Lauri Tilkanen), Tom courageously puts his artwork out into the (grateful) world. Embraced by the gay liberation movement in the States, Tom of Finland’s outrageous fantasies went from being trashed as porn, to hanging on the walls of MOMA. 117 min.

“The paintings, in which macho authority figures abandon themselves without shame provided not just arousal but also humour, affirmation and pride for a frequently despised minority.” – Alex Needham, the Guardian.