Finnish director Jenni Toivoniemi’s first feature, Games People Play (Seurapeli) is proof-positive that she has the makings of world-class filmmaker.
A group of friends in their late 30s gather together for a weekend in the holiday house they have been going to since they were teenagers. It’s a chance to celebrate the birthday of Mitzi, but also to catch up after not seeing each other for some time. New partners are introduced to the group, old loves and resentments surface, and much alcohol is imbibed. Gradually the group unravels, but then still manages to somehow weave itself back together again.
This is a solid, reliable trope for a feature film, but one which Tiovoniemi has absolutely made her own. Her screenplay sparkles with wit, wisdom, and utter authenticity. As well as some cracker writing, scenes unfold as if the actors have been allowed the space to improvise and play with the script. And what an ensemble of actors it is!
Emmi Parviainen (Shadowlines) gives us a Mitzi who is difficult, moody, complex, and yet believably adored. Her personality sits at the centre of the friendship group, acting as a centripetal force. Samuli Niittymäki’s Juhana is the suitably enigmatic and self-doubting writer, emotionally held, and yet subtly bursting with unresolved passions and pain. The dazzling Laura Birn (soon to be seen in the upcoming TV series Foundation) is the seemingly cool and collected Veronika. Birn is one of those actors who draws the camera to them, and is able to work with the slightest micro-expression. The ensemble is rounded out with Eero Milonoff as Härde, Paavo Kinnunen as Janne, Iida-Maria Heinonen as Natali, and The Bridge’s Christian Hillborg as Mikael.
Tiovoniemi has used place to great effect. The house is no mere backdrop to the relationships played out within it. It is a character in its own right, with its rooms, and the paths and coves of the island on which it sits providing mise-en-scène for the unfolding drama. And just over the water from this idyllic holiday island is a nuclear power plant. It doesn’t loom large in any clumsy, symbolic way, but hovers in the background, both figuratively and literally, as a portent of potential disaster.
Games People Play is a triumph. Scripting, acting, and direction all work together to paint a portrait of a group, and mini-portraits of fascinating individuals. Rare will be the person who doesn’t see themselves and their friends in some of these characters.
Games People Play is currently screening as part of the extended Scandinavian Film Festival at Palace Nova Eastend.
Click here for screening details.
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