The director himself 'states'*: "My main objective in making th[is] film was to challenge Finland into acknowledging the diversity that exists within it - to confront the homogeny of the mainstream with the difference that has been marginalised as 'un-Finnish' for so long. I wanted to make a film that was Finnish and un-Finnish at the same time .. to stage this opening up of traditional Finnish society by these characters usually relegated to the margins .. it is simultaneously a love letter and a critique .. [and in his concluding paragraph] to take a wider view; I would like to think that th[is] film can be seen as representing most things antithetical to Trumpism and Brexitism: freedom of movement, international solidarity and not only tolerance but respect for ethnic, sexual and religious diversity." [*from his own 'statement' on inside cover of Finnish DVD issue.]
Some of the naturalism in the dialogue of the film comes from lines being improvised by the young actors during the shooting.
The main character has gone abroad (to France) not only to study, but because of uncertainty about his home life: the director (Mikko Makela) similarly also left his country (Finland) which caused "a rediscovery and exploration of many of those aspects of Finnish culture and society which I vehemently rejected growing up and [so] leaving." [quote from director's 'statement' on inside cover of Finnish DVD issue.]
Through the whole film, Leevi never calls Tareq by his name.
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