“For as long as I’ve lived and worked with films I have wanted to tell the story of war children and the exceptional phenomenon where the totally different histories of the Second World War in Finland and in Sweden converge. Naturally it’s impossible to tell 70,000 unique stories in one film. Through the fictive framework we can, however, capture something universal in the feelings of exclusion and rootlessness that we associate with the experiences of the war children. The themes are strongly relevant to any child who has been separated from his/her parents, to anyone for whom growing up has generally been hard due to the secrets they carry in their heart."
- Klaus Härö, director, Äideistä Parhain ("Mother of Mine").
During World War II, 70,000 Finnish children were sent by their families to live in Sweden and elsewhere in Scandinavia as the Soviet Union prepared to attack Finland. Mother of Mine tells this story in microcosm through the eyes of one boy, whose father is killed on Finland's front line of defense and whose mother sends him to Sweden for safety. His rejection by his Swedish host mother upon his arrival is followed by his own mother's plan to leave him in Sweden. Although reconciliation occurs, the painful experience of the war years marks his reflections on his early life. The film was winner at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and the Cairo International Film Festival, as well as having screened at the Toronto and Seattle international film festivals.
The film will screen at the library on our 55" Samsung widescreen TV in the large meeting room on Tuesday evening, July 12, at 6:30 p.m. Cloquet's Sons of Norway Heimsyn Lodge is co-sponsoring the screening and will be serving refreshments. Join us early for conversation and refreshments.
No comments:
Post a Comment