Served hot or cold, revenge is a death that fans never get tired of. These types of stories stem from various cultures, but hit especially hard when the object of vengeance deserves it. Quentin Tarantino offered fans a revenge fantasy in Inglourious Basterds, but he wouldn’t be the only filmmaker to target World War II Nazis. In 2022, Finnish director Jalmari Helander released Sisu, a different perspective on the terror of Nazi Germany.
‘Sisu’ Is a Story Made for the Big Screen
Sisu opens in 1944, when Aatami has already washed his hands of the conflict and devotes his time to gold mining. The Nazis are well aware they are on the losing side of a war, and when they discover the man and his gold, they attempt to take it from him. This begins a war between the Nazis and one man who cannot be killed. Sisu hammers home the central conflict by showing unequivocally how much Aatami’s opponents deserve to die. Not that he needed any more motivation, but the Nazis shoot at Aatami’s dog and kill his horse, priming him for revenge.
Aatami’s quest for revenge is a story that could not exist anywhere but in a visual medium. Shot on location in Finland, Sisu utilizes the landscape with beautiful sweeping shots, populated with blood and practical effects. The film is split into chapters, and each segment gets more intense and action-packed than the last. As the Nazis close in on Aatami, he is forced to get more creative and defy death in more interesting ways.
Jorma Tommila’s performance is a standout, particularly because he utters no dialogue for the majority of the film. His pure grit is as close as audiences coming to understanding “sisu.” The word is of Finnish origin and is famously difficult to translate, but amounts to determination when all hope is lost.
This determination is also given to the female characters, who have more lines of dialogue than the protagonist. Aino (Mimosa Willamo) is one of many women imprisoned by the Nazis and tortured. Their trauma does not diminish them in any way, and like Aatami, they endure the worst until they successfully beat back the Nazis. With the help of Aatami, they commandeer their weapons and carry out their own vengeance, which contributes to what is so gratifying about this film. Nazis are a group that everyone should feel no qualms about rooting against.
They are not part of the trend of redemptive villains. They are heinous, and the joy of Sisu comes from watching them meet their demise. There have been many revenge fantasies before Sisu, but none have quite captured such a specific cultural experience like this.
Release Date
September 9, 2022
Runtime
91 minutes
Director
Jalmari Helander
Writers
Jalmari Helander
Producers
Petri Jokiranta
Image via © Lionsgate / Courtesy Everett Collection
English (US) ·