On April 12th, Peccadillo will release Producing Adults, a film written by Pekko Pesonen. “The film is about a therapist who works in a fertility clinic and tries to get pregnant behind her boyfriend’s back,” explained the screenwriter. “In the process, she falls for the female doctor who helps her at the clinic.
“This story is based on the lives of two friends of mine, a lesbian couple. Even though the main part is played by a woman, my voice can still be heard strongly between the lines, and I based some of the characters on friends of mine. I have spent the last four years working on this film.
“When people turn thirty, people start to think whether or not they want to start a family. The subject matter of this film is common to most people of that age group. My personal message is that it is important for a child to have loving parents; their sex doesn’t really matter. That is my opinion.”
The film’s director, Aleksi Salmenpera, added his own thoughts…
On making the film…
“The basic belief is that love does exist and it is more valuable than of the plans we make and the social mores guiding our lives.
“Prior to this project, Tuomo Hutri and I made two shorts films, but this is our first feature. I feel that Tuomo has more experience in the field. When discussing this film, we decided not to try to achieve too much, not to give it everything we had because this won’t be the last film we make together. We’ll just shoot it according to the storyline.”
On directing…
“My attitude is that there has to be something more than just a ‘know-it-all’ attitude. Trying to fit actors in my mould would exclude the knowledge and experience they can bring to a project. I cannot just come and tell actors how to walk and react in certain scenes – I would rather stay in the background and watch, and when I see something I like, we shoot it. I could never know as much as the team.
“I was very inspired by Vinterberg’s Festen, especially by the presence of the actors and the story it told. I’ve actually done three 45 minute TV-films that were completely improvised following a written plot. After making these films, I wanted to try and get the same strong ‘presence’ out of my actors with a script. I was, and still am, fed up with films where a certain overbearing style is brought to the forefront. I try to tell a story, not to invent new tools with which to distract the viewer.”
On fatherhood…
“The past offers very little for today's father to hang on to. The ‘traditional’ values of being a father are, at least for me, somewhat questionable. Somehow today, fathers have to create their role out of poor material. For me, the only way to discover one’s role as a father is to be there when it happens, and live the experience every day. One’s work and career are terrific escape routes from getting to know fatherhood.”
On motherhood…
"I believe that motherhood has a larger role in building a woman’s identity than fatherhood has for men. Venla wants to have a child, because she needs someone to give her love to. When she finds love, the whole ‘baby issue’ sits in the background. What she wants and what she needs are two different things. I wanted Venla’s choice to clearly represent love. Not tradition or a common procedure where a ‘bad’ man is replaced by a ‘prince charming’. I didn’t want the final choice of being with a woman to be the answer to all her problems.”
On women in love…
“It is a real love story between two women, with all of the usual obstacles that must be overcome in order for it to succeed. Compared with the men in the film, they shine. Their roles were written this way in order to make one feel that these two women really deserve each other, and that male viewers also hope for the best outcome.” PP
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