What it’s about
When he’s driven out of the house by his recently laid-off father (Pertti Sveholm), no-account youth Niko (Paakkonen) enlists a hacker friend to create a counterfeit 500 Euro bill, which he passes to dull-witted Isto (Kouki) at a used-furniture store, setting in motion a tragicomic series of misfortunes, including murder.
Why we love it
A forged banknote is the filthy lucre that brings bad luck to a cross section of Helsinki residents among whom it circulates in this witty, downbeat drama based on a Tolstoy tale. Louhimies introduces several characters — a recovering alcoholic and a depressive female cop, most memorably — twining their fates in a roundelay of ill-fated events that speak to the dark ironies of exchange and human interaction. Luck has a downside, and “Frozen Land” maps the consequences with a deft, naturalistic touch.