The Home of dark butterflies

The Home of Dark Butterflies is based on the novel of the same name by Leena Lander, which was nominated for the Finlandia Prize in 1991. The book has been translated into fourteen languages and published in nearly twenty countries. The film rights to the book were recently sold to the United States, where Solar Films acquired them after lengthy negotiations and at a high price in the mid-2000s. Writing a screenplay for a multi-layered novel was known to be demanding, and choosing a director was not straightforward. So the film had to wait in Solar Films' production queue for several years.

When writer Marko Leino finally got to work in 2006, and Dome Karukoski (Girl You're a Star) was chosen as director, the project took off quickly. The perfectly successful casting complemented the fine script: Karukoski got both prestigious frontline actors and young people who had shone in screen tests for his second feature film.

"There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who can be discouraged. And those who can't. Never."

The story centres on Juhani (Niilo Syväoja), haunted by a tragic childhood experience, who after six years in foster care and institutional care ends up in a boys' home on the island. The island has its own laws and rules, drawn up and enforced with a heavy hand by Olavi Harjula (Tommi Korpela). Apart from the seven boys and Harjula, the only other residents are Harjula's wife (Kristiina Halttu), the couple's two daughters (Marjut Maristo and Edit Viljamaa) and Tyyne (Kati Outinen), who looks after the animals and food on the island. The isolated community on the island is like a whole world of its own.

The film forces the viewer to ask themselves, how long will a person have to pay for their past actions? When can one forgive oneself and be free? Or can you ever? And does one also have to pay for actions other than one's own?

About the style of the film

To counterbalance the dramatic events and tragic fates of The Home of dark butterflies, the film also contains warmth and humour, both of which are provided by the close friendships and boyish banter between the young boys of the island. The film is characterized by a perceptible sense of 'wobbliness', a kind of explosiveness, in its narrative, characters and atmosphere.

The film's framing is "quiet" in style, dreamlike, almost poetically beautiful. This contrast between events and images was made as clear as possible already in the script. The film's linearity is broken by memories of Juhani's early childhood, set in real time on the island and its events.

ROLES INCLUDE:
Harjula – TOMMI KORPELA
Juhani – NIILO SYVÄOJA
Salmi – EERO MILONOFF
Hämäläinen – NIKO VAKKURI
Sulkava – IIRO PANULA
Rinne – VILLE SAKSELA
Simola – HENRI HUTTUNEN
Sjöblom – ROOPE KARISTO
Vanamo – MARJUT MARISTO
Irene – KRISTIINA HALTTU
Tyyne – KATI OUTINEN
Erik – PERTTI SVEHOLM
Maire – MATLEENA KUUSNIEMI
Orvokki – EDIT VILJAMAA
Juhani 7 yrs – SAMU UUTELA
Social Director – HEIKKI NOUSIAINEN
Forensic Investigator – SKO SAHLMAN
Detectives – DOME KARUKOSKI, KIRSTI VÄÄNÄNEN
Authority – MATTI ONNISMAA