Tom of Finland

Tom of Finland is definitely one of the most anticipated Finnish movies in 2017, and with reason. Many of us already know the homoerotic art made by Tom of Finland - art which has made its way to textile and even post stamps. This film directed by Dome Karukoski introduces us to the man behind the stage name - Touko Laaksonen.

The story is both touching and really empowering. It has heart wrenching drama, but it's also a message of hope, which is something we need right now, considering how scary the world feels right now. But it was certain from the beginning that this movie will make people feel all kind of things. People will be furious about it, mostly because people already feel that way about the art. Some people are not into anything that's so blatantly homoerotic. But as Dome Karukoski said today, it's a loud minority that's against this movie and everything it stands for, not a majority.

One of the most important things about the film is how Touko Laaksonen wasn't flattened, which worse director and writer(s) could've easily done. Of course this is affected by the fact that the events of the film take place during several decades, so there's no reason for Laaksonen be the same all through the movie. But I'm mainly talking about Laaksonen was introduced to us as a both sensitive typical artist and as a gay icon. If they would've tried to leave out the homoerotic art, it would've erased a big part of Laaksonen's identity. On the other hand if they had only focused on the gay icon side of him, the character could've easily become flat. And isn't it quite impossible to even take these two parts of Laaksonen completely apart from each other, since they aren't really that separate?

It's also amazing to witness how Laaksonen is affected by where he is and who he is with. In the middle of mostly straight people he has to hide parts of himself, and his Tom of Finland side isn't as visible. But in California, among the gay community, he can openly be who he is. I'm sure many closeted non-straight people can identify with this.

We all know our modern world isn't completely equal yet. Still it's horrible to see how much worse the hatred towards gay people was when Touko Laaksonen was younger. But comparing that to now, it gives us a little sparkle of hope, that maybe we are going in the right direction. And Tom of Finland movie is coming out (by coincidence, as Karkukoski stated) at the perfect time, and I'm not just talking about the Finland's 100th year as an independent country, but these few weeks. As of first of March, same sex marriage is legal in Finland. So this movie clearly couldn't have come at a better time.

Tom of Finland is a wonderful, touching movie about an artist who is so very important to the gay community. It's a touching biography, and everyone who can should watch it

Tom of Finland has his own autobiographical movie now, done by Finns themselves. Appropriate because he is one of them and spent his whole life living among them. Which was brave, because in his time, being found out as homosexual could meant effectively the end of the life as one knew it, including losing your life. Just like, say, paedophiles or terrorists today.

I am a bit surprised if you don't know the great late artist's name and/or haven't seen any of his work. Like, for example, Walt Disney or Herluf Bidstrup, he surely is one of the greatest artists of modern time, instantly recognizable and unforgettable for its style and soul.

I would say his drawings are like nothing else out there, although I actually don't know much about gay culture and its antics. But this is art at its purest and most powerful. It's unique, it makes you feel something and it talks to you, regardless of your sexual orientation and/or attitude towards homosexuality. Lust is universal.

The story is nothing original, the classic "rags to riches" success story blueprints made popular by Oliver Stone's "Wall Street" (1987) that the other movie makers still eagerly copy.

Which means that you can often guess where it's going and because of that, there's a risk of reaching the saturation point before the end, probably in the last third.

I enjoyed the ride in full, actually, but the risk is real. Maybe it would help that every movie using this formula wouldn't be around two hours long? It's not like it's gonna become magically fresher in long movies after 30 years.

But the formulaic story and the typical low-key "I am a Finnish movie" look are not what make "Tom of Finland" shine.

But what it lacks in inventive storytelling or visual flashiness, it more than makes up in heart and conviction. It's not just an re-enactment of a famous person's life, you can literally feel the lust that drove him, and men like him, on screen.

This is well conveyed by actors, especially Pekka Strang who seems to be straight in real life but does not shiver back from releasing his inner man-eater in hope for making everything come alive on screen.

This is not a comical role, and he really dives into the role so you can really buy him as the great artist. All this longing, need to break free from social chains, and satisfaction with getting what he wants seem authentic and real when they show on his face on screen.

Watching the gay scene, forced into hiding and later coming out in the open, is interesting as well. Creeping around, always giving out and trying to read subtle signs from other men, and desperation in the danger of being found out. The director has done a great job bringing this alive, as history lesson which is also entertaining to watch.

This is Finland's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film competition at 2018 Academy Awards. I think it's not "serious" enough to have a realistic chance of winning... but who knows. Dome Karukovski is quite a big deal among modern Finnish movie directors, says IMDb.

So... "Tom of Finland": an artist and now a movie even straight people can like! I know I do.

If you want recent similar movie suggestions, check out 2013's "Behind the Candelabra" starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, it's great!

If I have any gay or bi readers, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the movie.

The hit of The 2017 Mardi Gras Film Festival and I can see why..

I couldn't help thinking watching this movie a few days before we find out if Australia has .voted YES hopefully or No ,heaven forbid to marriage Equality how far our GLBTIQ historic journey has travelled and we still have a long way to travel.

This film is more than a biography of the creator of Tom of Finland , its a document that shows the vilification persecution and intolerance that we experienced in the journey to liberation and the shut closet furtive underworld that younger GLBTQI, thankfully don't experience today.

If Tom of Finland was introduced as a cultural icon today for gay male sexuality he probably wouldn't have had the impact that he did in today's world of internet and technology but he deserves his place in our history and I'm glad he's being celebrated in this entertaining movie.

I enjoyed the film which spans the war years to the terrible AIDS holocaust years ,where a generation was lost forever. Well directed great script and wonderful performances by all the cast ,Tom 's not a film for everyone but up till today I had only a little knowledge of Tom of Finland . Of course I knew the raunchy sketches and their iconic significance to Gay culture but no idea about the creator Toulouse Laaksonen or the background to the creation of Tom.

So grateful to Adam and Kirsten and Mt Vic Flix , if it wasn't for them we would miss out on the very best of today's cinema.

This film played out far better than I imagined it would. As a production it has a very solid and creative feel to it and over all I can't fault it. Of course it's based on a true story and for me who knew of Tom's work, I never knew the dramatic background behind it. To cram so much story into 2 hours obviously meant sacrifices but I think the writers did well there. The film gets over to the audience the sense of gay oppression in Finland around that period and the dangers that practicing gays had to live with. That all sets the scene in the first half of the film which is dramatic but downbeat. In the second half of the film which is mostly based in America it all opens out and in contrast to the first half has a real feel good about it. My score: 8 out of 10 Highly recommended

"Tom of Finland" is the at times a disturbing and hilarious biopic of extraordinary, bold, brave era defining gay artist Touko Laaksonen. A sort of scatter-gun cover-all script does not detract from the essence of life that superficially and externally was seen as being something akin to "high illustration pornographer" but at its core was more about an uncompromising right to self-determination. Chapeau to the Finns who as part of their 2017 celebrations of independence, put this man's extraordinary life and this film up there with the likes of Sibelius in the country's centenary cultural repertoire. There is no denying Laaksonen's (and arguably the) talent for art and in life. Despite a sense that the writers have tried to cover too much touching on everything from Post war PTSD, AIDS, and the post war oppression of homosexuals, the director (Dome Karukoski ) has done a good job in turning a subject matter of potential distraction (the art itself) into the vehicle of a craftsmanship that deserves respect and as tool (if you'll forgive the pun) of an era impacting human rights advocacy.