Markku Pölönen’s Hamsters marks the director’s return to the novels of Veikko Huovinen, following 2004’s Koirankynnen leikkaaja (Dog Nail Clipper). The humorous story published in 1957 saw its first cinematic imagining in 1982 with Pauli Virtanen’s three-part film series, in which the main character was played by Pentti Siimes. In Pölönen’s Hamsters, Peter Franzén (who also appeared in Dog Nail Clipper) makes his return to Finnish films for the first time in 5 years as the titular character, Hamster.
Hamsters tells the story of a nuclear family who, having recently won the lottery, move into a big house in the country, where a peculiar man lives next door with his pet mouse. The character called Hamster tries to convince the family to begin stocking up for the coming winter, as he predicts it will be a particularly tough and grueling one.
The film adaptation co-written by Pölönen and Paula Vesala deals not only with hoarding but also the inner struggles and shifting dynamics of the troubled family. The arising themes of the epoch are faith in life as well as friendship, and of course the beautifully shot nature.
Joonatan Nikkinen