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Theo’s House (2014), by director and screenwriter Rax Rinnekangas, is a meditative journey into contemplation.
It’s one of those films that leave you thinking about love, life and the shortness of it.
I wish there were more films like this.
It’s a story of two Finnish architects, Theo (Hannu-Pekka Björkman) and Vincent (Ville Virtanen), who are responsible for many of the flat-roofed squared apartment buildings that conquered the suburbs in the ’80s.
Theo thinks the buildings are a disgrace to architecture, but agrees to build the houses anyway. Business is business, assures Vincent.
Seeking solitude
After having a rough patch, Theo, now a middle-aged in the ’90s, seeks solitude from a former castle in East-Germany.
Vincent drops by, and the former business partners dwell into the topics of their career, ethics and forgiveness.
At the same time, Theo begins to design a dream house, not only for himself but also for a woman he has met once, 50 years ago in his childhood.
A trip down the memory lane
Björkman’s role as a man who is suffering from his mistakes while he takes a trip down the memory lane glues your eyes into the screen. The role of Theo is multilayered as we find out there’s a romantic inside him.
Theo’s House features elegant, simple cinematography by Pekka Uotila that relies on the beauty of the nature and the architectural glamour the old castle has.
Some of the most beautiful scenes include a touching soundtrack.
And some of the most beautiful moments in the film are found somewhere in the mix of fantasy and realism.
Theo’s House is premiering on Friday, February 6 at cinemas across the country.