Crazy Days
Short film
This short film represents the point of view of an immigrant in Finland. Though it is a work of fiction, it is made with the realistic elements of a documentary rather than a narrative drama. After many interviews with both immigrants and locals, I discovered they all agreed about the difficulty of integrating with each other. As a result, none of them tried to compromise. Crazy Days is both a confrontation and a reconciliation of this attitude, as it records one day in the life of an immigrant, who observes the collective Finnish culture by entering the private life of a Finn. The film is named after the biannual sale of the largest department store in Helsinki, Stockmann. The three-day event, “Crazy Days”, unites the Finnish society in a wave of consumption marked by bright, yellow shopping bags that become a symbol of the city’s identity. Saturated with loneliness, the film maps the experience of distance between people.
An immigrant living in Finland, is constantly being approached as an outsider by the Finns, thus reinforcing his own “other” identity. The film is a collection of impressions this man has gathered during his time in Finland. It is a visual documentation of his associations: as he enters the house of a 30-year-old Finnish woman and views her life through his thoughts; as he walks in the streets of Helsinki; and as he wanders the snowy forests alone.
Details:
Written and Directed by Adel Abidin
Duration: 00’13’00 min.
Aspect Ratio: 4:3 / colored
Sound: Stereo
Original Format: Beta CAM
Screening Format: DVD - all
Post-Production: Henri Tani
Co-Production Elokuvaja Oy
Sound Design: Aku Raski
Director of photography: Jussi Syrjä
Music: Pink Twins
