Aarne Tapola

Movies

The Blanket
Director of Photography
Ten-year-old Marja is sent to fetch milk for her baby brother. On the way there are things even more dangerous than the thin ice.
Bad Women
Director of Photography
Johanna, the hostess of the parish house, does her utmost to ensure that everything goes according to plan. There is no room for error. The last thing Johanna needs is a busload of uninvited guests knocking on the door of the parish house on the eve of an important wedding. However, a passing Russian party has had its car broken down and Johanna soon finds herself accommodating the party at the parish house. Johanna's brother is tasked with fixing the car to get the guests on the road and out of the way quickly. Her brother's entrepreneurial friend, on the other hand, sees great opportunities in the situation and decides to act. The clock ticks, the car won't start, the wedding ceremony is about to begin and the recipe for disaster is in motion.
Light Snatcher
Director of Photography
Light Snatcher dives deep into the intriguing architectural world of light and darkness, led by architect and academic Juha Leiviskä. The film takes a stroll into some of Leiviskä’s own creations, as well as Myyrmäki’s church and Vallila’s library, stopping by a few other international inspirations along the way. Through examples, calculations, and sketches, Leiviskä demonstrates the significance of light in architecture with such skill, that soon viewers can’t help but observe light as an ever-present saint who serves as the seamless crossing point between art and nature.
Kristal
Director of Photography
The film is about a show dancer, Kristal, 40+ years, blond hair woman, who with a Lada car goes around small pubs and entertains people. First she seems a bit ridiculous, self-sufficient and naive, a potential victim, an circus animal, but she comes out as something else. Kristal is a weird saint, who takes to bear all the hate, despair, lust and confusion around her and through that gives people a momentary relief.
Forest Giant
Director of Photography
Pasi returns to his childhood town, asked to reconfigure the local plywood factory. With a child on the way with his upper-class wife, Pasi sees an opportunity – this is his ticket to climb the professional ladder in the company. On arrival, he bumps into his childhood friend Janne, who works in the factory he is about to downsize. Pasi begins to struggle with the fact that he is supposed to care for the profits – not for the people.
The Stick
Director of Photography
Aava has but one wish: to get a dog. Meanwhile, her parents' marriage is falling apart.
Are You Hungry?
Director of Photography
A single mother struggles to connect with her adopted son, who she believes is gay. Her assumptions about her son's needs and desires lead to a cascading series of calamities.
Ha Ha Ha
Director of Photography
At the Factory, laughter is produced, canned and shipped into the world in precisely measured, temperate doses. It lacks something, though: freedom and authenticity. One woman is unable to laugh according to the norms. She accidentally releases a reckless laughter breaking all the Factory rules. Soon realizes she is leading a revolution for freedom and joy, against pomposity.
A Target
Director of Photography
A shopping trip gets an unexpected ending, when two utterly unknown men take their measure with social media videos rather than fists.
Ragged Life of Juice Leskinen
Director of Photography
Juice Leskinen was a singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, folk artist – the father figure of Finnish rock lyrics. The most important factor of Juice's life was his love life. Everything else – booze, lyrics and fame – came as its by-product. The movie tells the story of love professional, of a man who felt deeply and extremely sensitively, but wounded many people, including himself.
The Ceiling
Director of Photography
On the brink of divorce a middle aged man, Olavi, retreats to his cabin by the lake. After a few days he finds that the ceiling has come down making him unable to stand up straight. His friend Tuomas arrives and insists that something has to be done whereas Olavi is content with the limited space.
Alma de Sant Pere
Director of Photography
Alma is a young ambitious woman working in her own small company in Barcelona. She is happy in life but constantly dreams of a bigger project that she could work on together with her friends. A project that would bring in their first million. The opportunity finally arises and they buy an old building with a plan to renovate it into luxury apartments. But how to get rid of old tenants without hurting their feelings and without losing your own morals? Furthermore, how to survive from a free fall when you lose all you have? Alma de Sant Pere is a film about dreams, friendships and human values.
Spandex Sapiens
Director of Photography
Lonely son of a Canadian preacher man Michael builds the first professional wrestling company in faraway Finland. Young transsexual wrestler Jessica infiltrates into the company contesting Michael both physically and ideologically. Anger and frustration get to Michael who is now 40 years old still looking for companion. He is looking for love, but first must learn not to hate. As Michael finds true love online he redefines his values, and reinvents himself as a wrestler in love.
Headfirst
Director of Photography
Headfirst is a black comedy about a single mother with anger management problems and her teenage daughter who is always in trouble at school. With yet another school comes a new teacher and a blast from the past for the mother. Before long, an accidental pickpocket and a notoriously lousy storyteller teams up with this one dysfunctional sort of a family. Nothing is the same anymore. Headfirst is a story about missing teeth, strange friends, hidden dreams and long-gone love. And about a hare.
They Have Escaped
"B" Camera Operator
Two troubled youths break out of their halfway house and make their way to one's home.
Nuoren Wertherin jäljillä
Director of Photography
Conversations Between Men
Director of Photography
After being struggling to finish his ninth book, an irrelevant author decides to try change his methods.
So It Goes
Director of Photography
Out into the big wide world as fast as possible. That’s Elli’s plan. But where should she get the money from, if not steal it? When Heze falls for her, she steals from him and both have to learn: “Adulthood is a big pain in the arse”.
Soup
Director of Photography
The film Soup is the story of a trip in search of lost time. Only instead of Marcel Proust’s Madeleine cookie, the chicken soup by Podravka, well remembered by many generations in former Soviet countries and in Eastern Europe, is the triggering element.