The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki Film Difficulty Ranking: 3
“It’s nice that you’re modest, but we want a national champion”
Olli Maki is a Finish baker who happens to be a very talented boxer. He is training for the biggest boxing match of his career, a day that will be the ‘happiest day in his life’. But, a few weeks before the match, he falls in love. For an alternative to the typical macho boxing film watch this gorgeously shot film which won awards at Cannes!
Why Watch this Film?
- It’s a feel good film – it will put a smile on your face 🙂
- To learn what makes a successful sportsman and a happy person
- If you’re tired of macho boxing films
- Experience a Finnish wedding!
- For some beautiful black and white cinematography. There’s one pretty epic shot of Olli Maki wading naked into a pristine lake like Hercules.
The Breakdown
The first thing you notice is the grainy black and white footage as Olli Maki walks down a train and takes a seat in an empty carriage. He sits alone and looks out of the window in the carriage door, his brow furrowed. Is he concerned? Nervous? Or just shy and introverted?
It turns out that he’s just a modest man from a humble background. He is the Finnish baker battling for the boxing world title. You can tell he’s a humble guy from the first 10 minutes of the film. His creaky car breaks down, so he cycles to the wedding he is in town for. He plays with the kids at the wedding instead of chatting with the adults. But most of all, his modesty is shown in his facial expressions. His furrowed brow, his wide eyed look, and his smiles make it easy for us to sympathise with him. And the actor pulls of the face perfectly throughout the film!
Also pay attention to the beautiful cinematography. The filmmakers use grainy black and white footage with a lot of hand held shots to make it look like a 60s home movie. This style heightens the film’s happy moments as we associate home movie footage with happy nostalgia (think kids playing, funny faces, and days out). The style also takes nothing away from Olli Maki’s modesty. In contrast to the vivid colours and strong lighting of a Rocky film, Olli Maki is not brought out of the film artificially.
Conclusion
The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki is a welcome alternative to the many macho boxing films, such as Raging Bull and Rocky. Olli Maki will help you find what is important in your life. As a bonus, the film also explores class and patriotism in Finland whilst remaining an easy to watch feel-good film.