By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Miia Tervo
Starring: Amir Escandari | Chike Ohanwe | Elá Yildirim | Hannu-Pekka Björkman | Mimosa Willamo
Country: finland
Year: 2020
Running time: 106
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8553606/reference
Michael says: “AURORA is a quirky, Finnish romantic-comedy. I guess it’s considered a romantic comedy because there’s romance, and there’s humor, but there’s a fair bit of coping with grief (one of my favorite things to explore in art) and struggling with addiction. Aurora is a bit of a mess. She likes to party… a lot. It’s something she picked up from her Dad, who is in very poor health due to his alcoholic excesses. Both are grieving the loss of the matriarch of the family and are pretty rudderless. After a night of excessive drinking in the local bar, Aurora is grabbing a hot dog at the local shop when she bumps into Darian, an Iranian immigrant with a young daughter. The two engage in a little banter that’s both flirtatious and a big hostile, then go their separate ways. See, Darian needs to either die, or find a woman to marry in order to get his daughter a legal place in Finland as they are refugees from Iran. While he and Aurora don’t hit it off as romantic partners, they eventually become friendly, and Aurora agrees to help him find a wife. As is the way with romantic comedies, eventually the two start to develop feelings for each other, but it’s not an easy road, and there’s so much baggage on both sides. Still the issues that they are both struggling with, the taut writing, and the strong performances help lift AURORA above the standard rom com fare.
“The film is well-written and well-shot, using a setting we don’t usually get to see in the USA. Mimosa Willamo does a great job infusing Aurora with life, vitality, and behavior that will both repel the viewer, and engender sympathy, and even empathy with her character. She is a forceful whirlwind of a character, and Willamo really inhabits her. Amir Escandari does a solid job keeping up with Mimosa in his portrayal of Darian, sympathetic, but realistic in his attraction and frustration with Aurora. His relationship with his daughter and the social worker who along with her husband, are providing him a place to live and both amusing and sweet. It’s an impressive portrayal as he is a well-known writer and director in Iran, and this is his first acting gig. AURORA’s director Miia Tervo, has several films under her belt, and it shows with her assured hand, and sharp eye. 4 cats“