The complex human-animal relationship can be depicted as a continuum of utilisation, with merciless slaughter and exploitation in one end and anthropomorphic narrativisation to optimise click-baiting in the other. Juha Suonpää’s Lynx Man tells a different story of a peaceful coexistence, brought to the screen with the help of dozens of trail cameras.
After a divorce and a bad workplace accident, Hannu retires alone to his secluded family farm in Western Finland. Convalescing through long walks in the forest, Hannu starts installing trail cameras to follow the fauna of his home turf, especially the Eurasian lynx, previously thought to be extinct in the area. Gradually, Hannu forges an unconventional bond with the lynx, who give his life a new purpose. He gets to know the individual big cats prowling around the forest, sympathising with their joys and misfortunes, even though they almost never actually meet. Ingeniously edited by Tuuli Kuittinen, the images from dozens of trail cameras of various qualities lead the viewer into a fascinating world that humans can never directly be part of. Maybe that’s why for some of us, it’s far too easy to destroy.
Scored by award-winning Estonian nu-folk group Puuluup, this impactful story of a different kind of cat person has also vowed international audiences in such festivals as CPH:DOX in Denmark and Hot Docs in Toronto.
Liina Härkönen