Heart of a Lion is based on an original script by Aleksi Bardy who wrote your previous film Forbidden Fruit. Were you very much involved in the writing process?
Dome Karukoski: In all my films I am involved in the development process. Aleksi came up with the idea, then I collaborated with him on the writing. The story of Heart of a Lion resonates with me because it deals with bullying and as a child I was a victim of bullying. When I was four and a half, I moved from Cyprus to a small Finnish town. I didn’t speak a word of Finnish and had an odd name (my real Christian name is Thomas August George). It was strange to the other kids and I was bullied for several years. I was also raised by a single mum, just like the little boy Rhamu in the film. In a way he is my alter ego.
Was the redemption story of the neo Nazi Teppo (Peter Franzén) who gradually turns away from his friends because of his love for a woman, inspired by a true story?
DK: What happened is that one day Aleksi was in a small city, watching a children’s film with his kids. He saw a Teppo look alike, sitting with two white boys and another one of a different ethnicity. Aleksi started listening to the man, who was in fact very gentle with the kids, asking them if they liked the film and wanted an ice-cream. That inspired him. He realised that because of that man’s appearance, he had been prejudiced. So the film’s intention in a way is to stress that regardless of the language, religion, colour, jacket you wear, you have to look at people in their eyes and hearts, accept them for who they really are.
It must have been quite a challenge though to try to make a neo Nazi likable to an audience…
DK: It’s hard to sympathise with a violent character like Teppo, but to engage the audience and make them work with their own prejudice we had to make the character warm, even lovable. Also, the idea was to show violence for what it is: something ugly, and violence is all the more shocking and terrifying when the person who commits those acts is ‘likable’. Basically we didn’t want the film to be one-dimensional. We wanted the audience to have mixed feelings towards the neo-Nazi.
Is this also why you chose to mix genres, to spice the storyline with humour?
DK: Yes exactly. Comedy helps people liberate themselves. Then you insert drama and violence. The audience gets moved at different levels.
Can you confirm that you had a former neo-Nazi advise you on the film?
DK: When you make a film with a strong theme, it’s important to make sure the film is not about the theme but about human beings. We found a neo Nazi who had fallen in love with a woman and left the movement, He opened up to us, telling us very dark stories. He came to the rehearsals, commented even on the editing. He became very involved and helped the film focus on the characters’ humanity.
Peter Franzén (Teppo) and Jasper Paakkonen (his violent brother) give very strong performances. How did you help them get under the skin of skinheads?
DK: We worked on different levels, first on the physical aspect. We had a personal trainer for them and I trained as much as I could with them. The second phase was focused on discussing the characters and opening up about our inner feelings. The third phase was the rehearsals. I tend to rehearse a lot with actors. I did some acting myself and want to have a dialogue with the actors, not just arrive on the set and give orders.
Do you feel this is your most socially and politically conscious movie, as it is timely set against the rise of populist movements across Europe, including in Finland with the True Finns Party?
DK: This film does come at the right time, as there was recently a Nazi salute at the Finnish Parliament. But otherwise it has nothing to do with the True Finns. What the film does is make people remember that unfortunately, throughout history, during recession, right wing parties have a stronger influence on people. Other than that, I always try to find a sociological context to my films. In Lapland Odyssey it’s a comedy about unemployment, social exclusion. Forbidden Fruit is about fundamental religion.
What’s next? The English-language biopic Tom of Finland or the Finnish project Very Grumpy Old Man?
DK: Very Grumpy Old Man (this is a temporary title) will start shooting in two weeks. It’s a heart-warming film based on a book by Tuomas Kyrö, about an 80 year-old man who has difficulty adapting to our changing times. Very few films deal with elder people in Finland. It will be exciting to explore this theme. Solar Films is producing it. Tom of Finland is a huge project aimed at a wide international audience. It will take time to put it together. We have the rights to archive materials about Touko Laaksonen (aka Tom of Finland). Aleksi is producing and we’re aiming at late 2014 for a production start.
Didn’t you sign with ICM Partners in Toronto?
DK: Yes in Toronto we spoke to a lot of US agents. It was a bit overwhelming. I felt ICM is the right agency, representing directors that I appreciate such as Tomas Alfredson, Thomas Vinterberg, Jim Jarmusch or Sofia Coppola.