A boxer’s life choice: The ring or his heart?
“The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki” is a sweet, warmly observed tale overlaid with just the right amount of Scandinavian melancholy.
Set in 1962 and inspired by a crucial moment in the life of a real-life Finnish boxer, “Olli Maki,” the debut feature from Juho Kuosmanen won a prize at Cannes last year with its cinema verite-style storytelling and off-center sensibility. It was shot luminously on 16 mm B&W stock.
The natural acting from its key players makes you soon forget you are not watching real people going about their lives. The title character, convincingly played both in and out of the ring by Jarkko Lahti, is introduced taking a long trip to his rural home town to see Raija Janka, a young woman he’s recently met.
As played by Oona Ai- rola, Raija has an intoxicating smile and a clear sense of herself. Their day together takes some unexpected turns. They travel to a wedding with Raija perched on the front of Olli’s bicycle. When Olli goes to Helsinki, Raiji goes along with him.
Though comments about an upcoming bout and questions about Olli’s having to drop some pounds to qualify as a featherweight amusingly surface at the wedding, it’s only when he is met by his manager, Elis Ask (Eero Milonoff), that viewers realize Olli is just two weeks away from the biggest fight of his career, a title bout with accomplished American boxer Davey Moore, the world champion.
Ambitious manager Elis, himself an ex-fighter, has jumped through hoops to bring this fight to Helsinki, but Olli has fallen in love. With Raija initially close by, Olli’s attention is split between what he knows he should be doing and what his heart tells him to do.
Though not an original dilemma, “Olli Mäki” makes it seem like it is. The film is alive to the pleasures and difficulties of life in a way that constantly surprises us. Watch for an old couple who amble through a scene near this film’s end. It’s the real Olli and Raija, walking off the screen and into our hearts.