SERVICE (Palvelus)
Short film / 15min / Finland, 2022
On furlough from his military service, Niko pays his estranged father a visit. Can old wounds heal?
“An example of perfect narrative short. To describe the narrative in detail, other than to say it charts an awkward encounter between a younger man on leave from the military and an older gentleman would rob viewers of its layers of complexity. Finnish director Mikko Makela expertly unpeels the layers of this onion, ending with a kicker that is fulfilling and surprising. Teijo Eloranta and, especially, Otto Rokka give finely-honed, restrained performances, falling into a realm between tenderness and chilly discomfort.”
FESTIVALS
Tampere International Film Festival 2024 (National Competition) / Nordisk Panorama (New Nordic Voice Competition) / Helsinki IFF / Festival Internacional de Curtas Metragens de São Paulo / Odense IFF / Mecal Pro Barcelona / Holebikort (Finalist) / Hamburg Internatinal Queer Film Festival / Oslo Fusion / MIX Copenhagen / ImageOut Rochester / Reel Affirmations Washington DC / FilmOut San Diego / Roze Filmdagen Amsterdam / Cinéfest Sudbury / Zinegoak / Mix Mexico / Kashish Pride FF (Mumbai) / Image+Nation Montréal
A TEKELE PRODUCTION
With support from FINNISH FILM FOUNDATION & YLE
Written & Directed by Mikko Mäkelä / Produced by Marja Pihlaja / Executive Producer: Miia Haavisto / Director of Photography: Iikka Salminen / Set and Costume Design: Heli Lindroos / Edited by: Jussi Sandhu / Sound Design: Juuso Oksala / Original Score by Ilari Heinilä
CAST
Otto Rokka / Teijo Eloranta / Aleksi Holkko
