Me and Morrison

What is left when love is not enough?

ME AND MORRISON is a film about love, addiction and self-deception. It is a funny and touching story, with tragic overtones, about two people who are at odds with reality.

The screenplay was written by Marko Leino based on Kata Kärkkäinen's first novel. Solar Films shot the film for five weeks in early autumn 2001. In addition to the Helsinki region, the film crew worked in the outskirts of Porvoo and in Tallinn. The film's producer Markus Selin pegged the new film as the second part of the Restless trilogy.

Me and Morrison stars the luminous actors Irina Björkund and Samuli Edelmann. 11-year-old Roope Karisto also plays a big part in the story, as Aki's 10-year-old son. Director Lenka Hellstedt found actors from abroad for three key supporting roles. The highly talented director-actor Baltasár Kormakur (101 Reykjavik), named Iceland's Wonder Boy, plays a mafia boss, the Swedish acclaimed and beautiful theatre actress Eva Röse (also known from Kotikatu) is Milla's best friend and Dutch actor Yorick van Wageningen guest stars as her photographer boyfriend.

The working language of the film crew was not only Finnish but also English, as the director of photography was Mark Stubbs, a British citizen living in Finland, and the set designer was Norwegian-born Merete Boström.

Synopsis

Milla is thirsty for life, a slightly unbalanced young woman on the verge of adulthood and independence. Milla dreams of leaving Finland and the happiness it would bring, but is not prepared to do anything about it. Taking control of her own life has been left in a bad way: she has dropped out of school and is not interested in working. Daydreaming is just much more comfortable than facing the reality around you.

Milla meets Aki, a single father a few years older than herself. With a tragic background and a fascinating sense of mystery, Aki is clearly the man who can turn Milla's seemingly unfulfilled dreams into reality. A passionate love story begins, in which the two become obsessively attached to each other and to their shared dream.

Soon the stage set for romance and a happy family idyll start to fall. Reality cannot be shaped the way you want by a web of lies. Aki and Milla are both forced to answer the question: what is left when even love is not enough?

One of them has to give up, change and give up – but does either of them have the strength or the will to do so?

Posters
The distributor Buena Vista International Finland considered the original billboard too bold and shelved it before release. Other posters were made for the film.

Me and Morrison was a hit with the public
The poster storm attracted the attention it deserved and the film gathered 245 647 admissions. It was the second highest-grossing domestic film of 2002 and the winner of the Jussi Audience Poll. Irina Björklund was awarded with Jussi for her leading performance in the film.

ROLES INCLUDE:
Milla – Irina Björklund
Aki – Samuli Edelmann
Joonas – Roope Karisto
Sophie – Eva Röse
Milla's mother – Titta Jokinen
Jan – Yorick van Wageningen
Askildsen – Baltasar Kormákur
Travel agent – Irina Pulkka
Aki's mother Kerttu – Maija-Liisa Márton
Hotel clerk – Kirsti Kuosmanen
Villain 1 – Janne Suutarinen
Villain 2 – Jukka-Pekka Palonen
Nyberg – Jari Lampio
Copy – Lauri Nurkse
Rich man – Petri Mäkipää
Vladimir – Taavi Teplenkov
Militias – Gunnar Ränkel, Igor Iontsha
Finnish businessman – Jorma Hellström
Customs officers – Mikko Erä-Esko, Pasi Vuorenmaa
Father of the Russian family – Andrei Khrenkov
Mother of the Russian family – Olga Khanova
Children of the Russian family – Katja Piipponen, Nikita Baklykov
Priest – Veli-Pekka Hänninen
Aki's father Olavi – Erkki Herola
Sini – Heidi Palanki
Leif – Timo Tehikoski
Old woman at the grave – Tuire Björkell