Fatherfilm Portra 400 (2022)

Photofilm constructed of film photos from different eras, telling a story of three generations: the author, his father and his grandfather. Main topic of the film are emotions, and how we handle them.

The older we get in generations, the less prone the Finns are to deal with their emotions. Director of the film is trying to break the ice, using the photofilm even as an excuse to ask more difficult questions. Director’s grandfather had to spend seven years in the front and never talked about it afterwards. At least he had no time to, before his death in a car accident, when his son was only 16. Director’s father belongs to the after war generation whose own father’s were still trying to adjust back into society and deal with their traumas. If you were not able to, it was seen as a weakness, rather than a mental health issue. This approach stuck in the society for later generations also, and even though it seems to be finally changing it has left its generational effect on millions of people. The story is told through something they have in common, photography. Film photography taken by them both, and relatives, from different eras are used to create meanings, and maybe give a glimpse into how the father deals with his emotions - which differs vastly from the director’s style of doing it. This is something the director wants to explore with the film, while visiting places with importance to his father on a roadtrip. Could he even ease the emotional package his father is carrying - or is there even a need for it?

Keywords: emotional | photography | father-son relationship | psühholoogia  | connection between generations | View all »