Bubble by Aleksi Salmenperä (Void, 2015) sheds light on one perspective of the post-puberty phase: what is it like to be a young girl caught in the middle of your parents’ fading marriage?
Eveliina’s (Stella Leppikorpi) world is shaken when she sees her mother Tupu (Minna Haapkylä) kissing another woman. Eveliina sets out to mend the wounds of her parents’ relationship without realising their depth. The star student seeks to breathe energy into the tired relationship, just as she is going through a critical phase in her own life.
From the seemingly straightforward and banal story – with themes such as youth rites, teenage life and having a crush – Salmenperä builds a complex film that is a celebration of outstanding performances. It is extraordinary how Leppikorpi shines even alongside a veteran like Tommi Korpela.
Leppikorpi juxtaposes piercingly cruel and domineering defiance with the turmoil of her beguiling insecurity and a fresh note of sensitivity. Her performance has justifiably been compared to Kati Outinen’s silver screen debut in Right On, Man! (1980).
Joonas Nykänen