The Missile, a carnivalisation of 1980s Finland that equates violation of the national border with invasion of privacy, begins when a Christmas tree crashes through the window of a local newspaper in Finnish Lapland and a kind-hearted editor hires a tearful and frightened Niina as his assistant.
Discouraged by her circumstances and with writing experience mostly in diaries, Niina happens to hear of a disturbance on Lake Inari: it seems the Soviet Union has fired a missile at Finland. There may be a nuclear warhead at the bottom of the lake, but the village bar seizes the moment to serve rocket-themed fish dishes and missile-shaped doughnuts, accompanied by copious amounts of alcohol and disco tunes. Another jolt to Nina’s life, even more palpable than the rocket threat, comes from her ex-husband. Fortunately, she has the support of her family, and her new love for a fighter pilot brings security. Oona Airola won an award at the Gothenburg Film Festival for her nuanced lead performance – and many of the other actors in the film deserve the same. With a flashing incident by none other than politician Paavo Väyrynen, it becomes clear that this is a way of defusing decades of national anxiety with humour.
Mia Öhman