Cannes Review: Juho Kuosmanen’s Modest, Minor Key 'The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki'

As jury president Marthe Keller struggled to pronounce the Finnish title of the 2016 Prix Un Certain Regard winner, an enormous cheer burst out and drowned her out. It appears that the cast and crew of “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki” already knew they had a winner on their hands, even if it was only by process of elimination amongst the film teams in the room. In a weaker-than-usual UCR slate, it is no great surprise that the jury found itself smitten with Juho Kuosmanen’s debut film, for both its modest love story and distinctive black-and- white 16mm photography. Even if the film isn’t as formally radical or critically divisive as the laureates of recent years in this strand of the Cannes Film Festival (“HaHaHa,” “After Lucia,” “White God”), ‘Olli Mäki’ is certain to have a healthy run on the festival circuit.

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The pre-ordained “happiest day” for titular character Olli Mäki (Jarkko Lahti) is August 17, 1962, the day of the featherweight title fight against American boxer Davey Moore (John Bosco Jr.). Previously an amateur fighter, Olli is taken from his small, “backwater” town to the big city of Helsinki in order to prepare for the showdown. The physical presence of the boxer remains a running joke throughout the film; his miniature stature and introverted personality hardly inspire confidence. A great burden is placed on Olli’s comically small but defined shoulders: national prestige for Finland, the financial stakes of his sponsors and the future of his own career as well as that of his manager, Elis (Eero Milonoff). It is implied that Elis has had Olli placed in a lower weight class so that their legacies would not be in direct competition, as welterweight boxers — a suggestion that also challenges the fraternal bonds that underpin the pugilistic sport.

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Complicating the boxing story is Olli’s burgeoning romance with small-town girl Raiji (Oona Airola). One can’t help but admire the dramatic register at which the relationship between the two characters plays out. Both are shy and reserved, yet assert themselves at appropriate junctures (Raiji leaves Helsinki just as her lover is thrust uncomfortably into the limelight, Olli returns to his hometown to find her when the pressure of the match becomes unmanageable alone). In Elis’ cramped Helsinki apartment, the couple takes over a set of bunk beds rather than sleep in the same bed together. Similarly, their first kiss arrives late in the film, with the beauty of the moment speaking to the effectiveness of Kuosmanen’s restraint.The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki

Although “Olli Mäki” ostensibly belongs to the boxing film genre as much as it is functions as a romantic drama, it never seems truly invested in the underdog narrative of its title character. The rituals of courtship — often in the form of meals — are placed at odds with Olli’s preparation for the marquee match. He has to shed a few kilograms from his already-lean frame in order to qualify for the featherweight class, and Kuosmanen seems to be more interested in the arduous sacrifices Olli must make — fully-clothed steam baths and induced vomiting — than sparring practice and photo calls.

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And so it’s a disappointment when the film arrives at the climactic boxing match, and not just because the audience is forced to make the inevitable comparisons to that other black-and-white boxing movie. Shot in shallow focus in a series of close-ups, the fight seems to be over as quickly as it began. This concession to generic demands  casts a disappointingly conventional shadow over the remainder of the film. At this point, what is really at stake is the relationship between Olli and Raiji, and that is where the film’s heart really lies.

A more reasonable frame of reference than “Raging Bull,” perhaps, is Bruce Weber’s under-seen 1987 documentary “Broken Noses,” which is also saturated with a 16mm, nostalgic aesthetic (in Weber’s case, both monochrome and color) and acknowledges its own existence as a documentary. ‘Olli Mäki’ teases a reflexive dimension of its own through the presence of a documentary crew that follows the protagonist as he is groomed to place Finland on the sporting map. And it really pays off in the closing credits when the presence of the real-life Olli and Raiji is revealed — they’re shown hiding in a late scene. This subtle detail really enriches the ending and Olli’s decision to follow his heart and not his fists, in addition to blurring the boundaries between true-story biography and fiction.

A prestigious award like the Prix Un Certain Regard begs the question of its recipient’s staying power and cinematic legacy. In the case of a humble work such as ‘Olli Maki,’ it is unlikely that the film will imprint itself in the collective consciousness in the way a more provocative title might have. That said, one can expect big things from Kuosmanen, seeing as this is merely his first film, and the boost will undoubtedly put him on strong footing for his sophomore feature. In his acceptance speech, the director thanked his wife, saying: “Without you I’m nothing, but with you, I’m everything I need to be.” This sentiment can easily be extended to his film; even if it plays in a minor key throughout its runtime, it is all it needs to be. [B]

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