The Harvest Month

A slow, somber descent into a family's unraveling, carried by a restrained central performance and a quietly heavy sense of loss.

Directed by

Matti Kassila

Genres

Drama

Starring

Toivo Mäkelä, Emma Väänänen, Rauni Luoma

Overview

The title of the Finnish film Elokuu translates to August. Directed by Matti Kassila, one of Finland's premiere filmmakers, Elokuu was adapted from a novel by Nobel prize winning finnish author F.E. Sillanpää. Simply put, the story concerns the decline and fall of a once-proud family, thanks to the alcoholism of its paterfamilias. Toivo Makela delivers a powerfully effective performance as the inebriated protagonist, avoiding the usual "drunken" cliches. The overlong running time, coupled with the downbeat nature of the subject, limited the film's worldwide appeal.

How it feels

Slow-burning and needs your attention.

About

Addiction, family, grief, class

Content

Mild sexual content and language. No violence or gore.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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