Paavo, a Life in Five Courses

A gentle, unhurried portrait that drifts between glamorous city life and quiet northern landscapes, leaving a warm sense of a life shaped by chance encounters.

Directed by

Hanna Hemilä

Genres

Documentary

Starring

Paavo Turtiainen, Pia Lindström, Isabella Rossellini

Tagline

A film about Ingrid Bergman's butler.

Overview

Finnish farm boy Paavo Turtiainen is hired into the Parisian household of Swedish theatre producer Lars Schmidt and his wife, actress Ingrid Bergman. The couple “adopt” and train Paavo to navigate among the rich and famous. Later on, Paavo becomes the personal secretary for Schmidt and Bergman. His responsibilities include building up the personal archives of both Schmidt and Bergman. Ms. Bergman’s archives are now at the film archives of Wesleyan University and Schmidt’s archives are in the United States Library of Congress. After Schmidt and Bergman divorce Paavo decides to settle permanently in New York. His first clients are friends of Schmidt: celebrities and business personalities Paavo has met while working in Paris and on Dannholmen, a Swedish island owned by Schmidt. Eventually Paavo becomes an acclaimed chef and event planner for high society. Along the way, he has learned to stand on his own feet.

How it feels

Measured and needs your attention.

About

Identity, class, work, family

Content

No violence, gore, sexual content or swearing.

Note

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

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