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Juha Suonpää says of Hannu Ratala: 'He was trying to amplify the story. But he needed me. So we were a perfect match' Photo: Juha Suonpää Offbeat documentary Lynx Man immerses us in the infectious obsession of Hannu Ratala - whose life revolves around watching the lynx who inhabit the forest near his home. Juha Suonpää’s film is a celebration both of Hannu’s eccentricity and the creatures he captures on a network of cameras he’s set up, not only featuring lovely wildlife photography but also incorporating a more playful and experimental element that speaks to a more primal connection between man and cat.

Suonpää says he came across Hannu “by accident” thanks to his own past as a wildlife photographer in the Eighties. Although he left the business, he still continued to visit events where those he knew were showing something. It was in 2015, at an event...

Animal exploits and human eccentricity form a heady, addictive brew in Juha Suonpää’s playful and atmospheric Lynx Man. He turns his camera on Hannu Rantala who, in turn, has his own lenses focused on the lynx that live in the forest near his Finnish home. The result is a multi-layered consideration of both human and animal behaviour that prompts us to think about how we might better live in harmony with the creatures which share our planet.

Loner Rantala is the perfect subject for a documentary, distinctive both in look and deed. His grey flowing beard and piercing blue eyes lend him an old man of the woods vibe even before we see roaming within them, carefully situating hidden cameras to catch the lynx on their excursions. It’s obvious he feels these majestic cats are kindred spirits, although that seems to be more due to his willingness to take a walk.