(127 mins, 15)
Directed by Aku Louhimies; starring Jasper Paakkonen, Mikko Leppilampi, Pamela Tola, Petteri Summanen

Aku Louhimies's Frozen Land (aka Paha Maa) is an aptly named story of cold hearts, paralysed emotions and numb spirits in a wintry Helsinki. Based on a Tolstoy story called 'The False Note', it begins and ends with a funeral oration that raises the question as to whether life is worth living. A variety of people are linked, initially through the passing of a forged €500 note, which brings nothing good to anyone, and a theme emerges about life as a relay race in which misfortune is the poisoned baton.

The folks involved include a woman cop who risks her life once too often, an alcoholic, a failed salesman, several petty crooks and two dedicated literature teachers made redundant to fund more vocational studies. It's a handsome, well acted movie, after which not only Finns will head for the nearest bar.