"Raspberry Boat Refugee" (Vadelmavenepakolainen) Directed by Leif Lindblom (Finland/Sweden, 2014). This playful comedy of errors draws upon Scandinavian stereotypes to tell the story of a man who is sure that he is a Swedish man trapped in the body of a Finn. Ever since a childhood holiday in Sweden, Mikko (Jonas Karlsson) has wanted to trade the oppressive Finnish silence and flow of vodka for a Swedish life: raspberry boat candies, fridge-cold buttermilk, and Abba.
However, his passion for all things Swedish doesn’t sit well with other Finns, particularly with his father. When he meets a suicidal Swedish psychologist he seizes an opportunity for an identity switch, but in doing so, he becomes saddled with many unexpected consequences.
94 min. | In Finnish and Swedish with English subtitles.
$10 ($7 ASF Members)
About the director
Leif Lindblom (b. 1967) is a Swedish film director best known for his work directing TV-series in Sweden. He made his debut as a feature film director in 2007 with Sunstorm/Solstorm, an adaptation of Åsa Larsson’s popular crime novels about prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson. Raspberry Boat Refugee/Vadelmavenepakolainen is Lindblom’s third feature-length film.
