The film’s five episodes explore the little-charted legacies of Finland’s post-war period, digging deep into the unspoken stories, misunderstandings and mysteries that a child of those years experienced.

Synopsis

Finland emerged from WWII in a schizophrenic state. The nation had survived two wars against the Soviet Union with her independence in tact, but had officially come out on the losing side. It was hard to talk about the war in the home. Fathers were back from the front, but they found it difficult to adjust to everyday life. The heroism and camaraderie of the battlefield lived on in their memories, the horrors of war haunted their dreams. Mothers, the heroines of the household, took control and began organizing the lives of their families.

To post-war children, their parents seemed distant, authoritarian, frightening. It took the Sixties to free society from the spectre of unquestionable authority, and to open windows to the outside world. Television brought war back into the livingroom, but now it was being fought on the other side of the planet.

Treatment

The film is composed around five old Lutheran hymns and their spiritual legacy. Hymnal motifs dominate the soundtrack and recall memories of a time when they were an intimate element in everyday life. 

The wealth of visual imagery consists of animation, period archive materials and photographs from old family albums. The new possibilities created by the current light wight equipment in recording, shooting and the technology in manipulating the imagery became a great source of inspiration. 

Structure

The film consists of five movements:

1. Just put up with it

Daughters born at the end of the war, reflect on their mothers who were cought up in the WWII and who had to sacrifice their youth for the fatherland. 

2.   Severe Peace

The girl’s journey from the post-war austerity to the 50’s that marked the turning point in Finland’s recovery from the war.

3. The Fear of Lord 

Daughter challanges her fear of the war damaged father.

4. Schools are out!

Summer in Finland is blissful. Schools end in the beginning of June for three months. But summers are always followed by winters, darkness and frost. The sixties liberated the post-war generation and they started to seek their own destiny

5. Prepared for Everything

The baby boomer generation have learned from their mothers how to be prepared for everything and a new crisis will never take them by surprise. Television had the power to bring the family together onto the sofa.

Credits

Script and Direction: Marjut Rimminen ja Päivi Takala

Compositing and Animation: Marjut Rimminen, Shaun Clark, Kim Noce, Timo Arnall

Cinematography: Marjut Rimminen, Kari Sohlberg, Kristiina Tuura

Archive Material: Eeva Lintunen (YLE), Tommi Partanen (SEA), Orly Yadin, Footage Farm Ltd

Photographs: Eeva Rista, Simo Rista, Helsingin kaupunginmuseo, Lehtikuva Oy, Suomen Kuvapalvelu Oy, Ilppo Huhtinen, Rimminen’s family album.

Editing: Tony Fish

Editing Assistant: Benjamin Gerstein

Cast: Fanny Sukura, Anton Valtonen, Jari Valtonen

Costumes: Riitta Röpelinen and team

Music: Päivi Takala

Sound Design: Patrick Boullenger, Päivi Takala

Sound Mixing: Paul Jyrälä C.A.S, Barnaby Templer Fonic Ltd

Production Team in Oulu: Pauliina Hujanen, Aija Saari

Choirs: Aiolos - choir, dir. Seppo Härkönen, The 4th music class from Teuvo Pakkala School, dir. Leena Alenius-Määttä

Musicians: Kaisa Alasaarela, Seppo Heikkonen, Jeremy Gould, Margarete Järvi, Helinä Nissi, Pekka Nylund, Jukka Pietilä, Mirella Sipola, Taru Suvilehto

Music Recording: Patrick Boullenger, Pekka Suvanto

Music: ’Koska valaisee kointähtönen’ words by Anders Odhelius, traditional
’Joutukaa sielut’ words by Antti Achrenius, traditional
’Mä silmät luon’ words by J.L. Runeberg, composed by Rudolf Lagi
’Jo joutui armas aika’ words by Israel Kolmodin, traditional
’Mua siipeis suojaan’ words by Lina-Sandell-Berg, traditional
Edward Grieg: Sonata no 3 for violin and piano, Jan Söderblom and Izumi Tateno, August Durand: Chaconne, Solistiseitsikko Otava, Nyberg-Suvanto-Yliselä: Free, performed by Silvery

Radio Voices: Eeva-Maija Haukinen, Simo Routarinne

Narrators: Marjatta Katajamäki, Johannes Brotherus, Taika Martikainen

Mother’s Day speech: Elsa Enäjärvi-Haavio 11.5.1947, ‘Autius lehtipuissa’ Elsa Enäjärvi-Haavio’s and Martti Haavio’s diaries and letters 1942-1951, edited by Katarina Eskola (WSOY 2003).

Trainees: Anni Terävä, Arto Aitta, Riikka Herranen, Nina Ervasti

Accounting: Kristiina Arokari

Thanks to: Marimekko, Annikki Rimminen, Anja & Jouko Pursiainen, Elsa Enäjärvi-Haavio estate, Ev.Luth. Parish of Oulu, reverend Paavo Moilanen.
Painting of the president by Rafeal Wardi by courtesy of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Jeremy Gould, Ezra Gould

Financed by: SES / Miia Haavisto, AVEK / Ulla Simonen, YLE Co-Productions / Sari Volanen, POEM / Markku Flinck, Kirkon Mediasäätiö / Juha Rajamäki

Producer: Annakaisa Sukura

Production: Soundsgood Productions Oy, 2007

In memory of Dick Arnall

Awards

BEST ANIMATION (Toon Boom Animation Inc.)
 Tampere Short Film Festival 2007

Finnish State Quality Award (VALTION LAATUTUKI) 2007.

SPECIAL MENTION in the category of short films, AURORA International Festival, Norwich 2007

Reviews

“The story of  the memories of a young girl is told skillfully, in a new and fresh way combining different elements (documentary, fiction and animation), thus creating a film which in an exceptional way is able to communicate both personal emotions as well as the history of the whole generation. The rich sound track deepens the expression.”

“Tarina nuoren tytön muistikuvista on taitavasti, uudella ja raikkaalla tavalla eri keinoja (dokumenttia, fiktiota ja animaatiota) yhdistäen toteutettu. Elokuva, joka poikkeuksellisin keinoin kykenee välittämään sekä henkilökohtaisia tuntemuksia että sukupolvensa historiaa. Taitavasti rakennettu äänimaailma syventää tulkintaa”. Jury citation Tampere Film Festival 2007. 

“The digital technique usually lends itself to ostentatious display: in this film, it is used modestly in service of the content.  Narrated with an ease of pop culture attitude and with the seriousness of high art, the directors lyrically document the invisibility of women’s contributions in a way that is not bound to geographical or cultural specificity.” Jury citation Aurora Festival 2007.

“After seeing the movie I thought it was made by younger women, but Marjut Rimminen, 63 and Päivi Takala 53, have made the most innovative film of the festival.” IDFA–newspaper 29.11.2007, Amsterdam International Documentary Festival. 

“Learned by Heart is a brilliantly beautiful piece of work.”  Finnish national newspaper Helsingin Sanomat 6.12.2007. 

The disjointed debris of our childhood state still lurking within our adult consciousness act as a painful, disruptive force. A ghost-like little girl keeps tapping on a woman’s consciousness, demanding attention, recalling a traumatic childhood event and thus distorting the woman’s experience of the present.

8 min 23 secs, Digibeta, 16mm, 1996

Credits

Words: Harriett Gilbert

Father & Young Man: Kevin O’Donohoe

Mother & Young Woman: Sarah Strickett

Voices:  Anthony May, Melanie Hudson, Camilla Hunsley

Live-action, Design & Production: Daniel Simpson, Adam Cutts, Mark Sewell

Lighting: Layne Comarasawmy

Editing & Sound: Tony Fish

Sound & dubbing: Nigel Heath

Compositing: Timo Arnall

Directed and animated by Marjut Rimminen 

Produced by Lee Stork

A Tricky Films production for Channel 4 Television

Distribution: Tricky Films

Awards

GRAND PRIX, 1997 Tampere International Short Film Festival.

THE GRAND ANIMATION PRIZE, 1997 Vila do Conde Short Film Festival.

FIRST PRIZE, 1997 Fantoche International Animation Festival.

JURY SPECIAL PRIZE, 1997 Krakov International Short Film Festival.

2nd PRIZE in a category of BEST COMPUTER ASSISTED ANIMATION, 1997  Los Angeles World Animation Celebration.

HONORARY DISTINCTION FOR BEST ANIMATION, 1997 Drama International Short Film Festival.

FINALIST, 1998 British Animation Awards

DIRECTORS’ CHOICE AWARD for the Most Innovative Animation Work, 1998 The Images Festival, Toronto

Reviews

A compelling work which succeeds  in subverting conventional definitions of story-telling, animation and cinema.  Tampere International Short Film Festival jury report 5th March 1997.

The Jury has granted The Bronislaw Chromy Award for enhancing the art of animation with the new means of expression to ‘Many Happy Returns’, directed by Marjut Rimminen.  Krakow International Short Film Festival jury report June 1997

The director made a gallant attempt to show something multidimensional and truly elusive through skilfully employing unconventional means of artistic expression. Pjotr Dumala: President of the Jury in Cracow International Short Film Festival, interview in the Festival Gazette 3 June 1997.

The Grand Animation Prize for the most beautiful, but disturbing film ‘Many Happy Returns’. Jury citation, Vila do Conde International Short Film Festival 1997.

Marjut Rimminen’s short film has a similar disordered atmosphere with a visual disjointedness that aptly conveys traumatic memories. The shift from a woman in live action to a doll in animation enliven the world of the subconscious and conveys the fears of a child on the brink of disaster. This film illustrates the ‘state of mind’ film well as it conveys the world of the woman’s mind in such an abstract manner that the viewer has little sense of the details of reality but experiences an oppressive sense of atmosphere. The viewer sees the child like state of the woman’s pleas for safety which are seemingly mute and powerless. Cathy Johnstone, review in the Melbourne International Short Film festival July 1997.

The film is a moving narrative with an intelligent use of the evocative potential of modern cinema.  Jury citation, Fantoche International Animation Festival 1997.

However, no doubt about it, the best film of the competition won the first prize. ‘Many Happy Returns’ by Marjut Rimminen, a Channel Four production, is a combination of puppet and live action elements. The subject is rather delicate: child abuse ( remember Marjut Rimminen’s former film ‘The Stain’ ). There is not only emotional perplexity, but also a lot of strong images. The film is wonderful and very suggestively composed. It is like a kick in the kidneys. It was worth the visit to Fantoche to watch this film. In two years we will attend Fantoche again, hoping to see an improved festival with less theory and more practice, and to discover yet another masterpiece. One masterpiece is even more than you can expect … Thomas Basgier, Animation World Network Magazine issue 2.7.1997.

The film can be viewed at the “4mations.tv”:http://www.4mations.tv/ and search with the title or director.

The film is available as “British Animation Awards compilation DVD, volume 1″ from “British Animation Awards”:http://www.britishanimationawards.com/

The film is featured in Clare Kitson’s book “British Animation: The Channel 4 Factor”. This book can be ordered from “Parliament Hill Publishing”:http://www.parliamenthillpublishing.co.uk/

Triggered by an actual news item about suicidal octogenarian twins, THE STAIN is a dark, domestic thriller which uses a variety of animation styles to spin a claustrophobic web of incest and intrigue … 

11 mins, 16mm, 1991

Credits:

Narration: Chrisse Roberts

Words by: Harriett Gilbert

Research Consultant: Julia Vellacott

Design: Christine Roche

Animation: Marjut Rimminen

Additional Animation: Jeff Goldner, Heini Kauppinen

Assistant Animators: Gail Walton, Shelley McIntosh, 

Isabel Radage

Painting: Sarash Strickett, Sam Padget

Checking: Debra Thaine

Set Construction/Electrician: Dick Arnall

Silversmith: Pierre Marchand

Rostrum Camera: Heather Reader

Lighting & Camera: Cathy Greenhalgh

Editing & Sound: 

Tony Fish, Peter Hearn @ Picturehead Productions

Dubbing Mixer: Ian Sewyn @ Studio Sound

Music: Dick Heckstall-Smith, Dave Moore, Giuseppe Verdi, Robert Schumann

Thanks to: Three Peach, Andy Daley, Michael Muller, Jim Ensom, Chris Opperman

Producer: Orly Yadin

A Smoothcloud Production for Channel Four Television

Distribution: Yadin Productions Productions Ltd

Awards:

SPECIAL JUTY PRIZE at the 1992 Hiroshima International Animation Festival

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE at the 1992 San Francisco International Film Frstival

WRITTEN ABOUT THE FILM:

The Stain “… an examination of incest and sex abuse within the nuclear family. In the Gothic nursery-rhyme atmosphere where keeping the house clean means shoving the dirty dishes into drawers already bulging with dirty dishes, the suffocation is acute. Bright toytown colours emphasise the shiny deception and jolly cover-ups of what Daddy likes to call a game … The Freudian ability of animators deftly to display the motives behind the mask is one of the great strengths of the form. Animation can handle difficult delicate topics with extraordinary lightness and perception.” Jeanette Winterson, Sight & Sound.

The Stain “Rather more accessible as a movie is Marjut Rimminen and Christine Roche’s The Stain, an imaginative animated fable about the benefits of family life: envy, incest, murder. With all the sinister simplicity of a tale by Edward Gorey, it is exactly the sort of thing that distributors should be picking up as support for their new features.” Time Out.

The Stain “It’s rare to meet someone who’s seen THE STAIN who hasn’t been, quite simply, knocked out by it. … It is also difficult to describe. This is precisely because its use of animation to convey complex ideas through visual images and movement makes any synopsis somewhat misleading. It’s worth stressing the roller-coaster energy and tight construction, brilliant editing, unusual camera angles and exhilarating musical score which all drive the narrative along.” Women & Animation, ed. Jayne Pilling, British Film Institute. 

The Stain “The aesthetics of tragedy. With SOME PROTECTION and I’M NOT A FEMINIST, BUT… Marjut Rimminen already demonstrated that she is not afraid to deal with serous subject matters. In her latest film THE STAIN she takes this even a few steps further, reconstucting absurd murder within family with hints of childabuse and perhaps even incest. Visually THE STAIN is also very complex and disturbing. Together with Christine Roche, Marjut Rimminen made a film not an easy to comprehend, but surely one you will never forget. An unusual theme apparently inspired them to combine for the first time many different techniques. Edwin Carels, Annecy 93 leQuotidien.

The Stain “Channel 4 in the commissioning and broadcasting of new independent work have prompted the emergence of highly talented female animators. The Leed’s Animation Collective (Out to Lunch, 1989), Joanna Quinn (Girl’s Night Out, 1986) Candy Guard (Fatty Issues, 1990), Erica Russell (Triangle, 1994), Marjut Rimminen (The Stain) 1991) and Ruth Lingford (Death and the Mother, 1996) have created a distinctly ‘feminine aesthetic’ which has challenged dominant orthodoxies not merely in British animation but in the form per se.

The fresh approach has been achieved, first, by using the craft-orientation and auteurist scope in animation to reconfigure the practice of filmmaking itself, and, second, by redefining aspects of representation, particularly in regard to the depiction of the body and issues about gender politics and social identity.  FILM - The Critics Choice, (‘Art of the Iimpossible’ by Paul Wells, 150 masterpieces of world cinema selected and defiened by the experts.)

The Stain “ Myös ‘helmiä ‘ jäi palkitsematta. Marjut Rimmisen ja Christine Rochen Englannissa valmistama TAHRA on hallittuna animaationa toteutettu viiltävä psykodraama perhehelvetistä.”  Tarmo Poussu, Ilta Sanomat 9.3.1992.

The Stain “Parhaat tekijät ovat löytäneet tyyleilleen ja aiheilleen sopivat rakoset. Animaatio näyttää pystyvän tehokkaasti houkuttelemaan katsojia kertomalla asioista, jotka eivät joko helposti taivu näytellyn elokuvan aiheeksi tai joita ei sellaisina niellä. … STAIN’in tarina kertoo lapsen hylkäämisestä, insestistä ja muista olohuoneen virtahevoista. … Elokuvan rohkeudessa nostaa perheen ongelmat esiin on optimismin siemen. ” Petri Kemppisen raportti Annecyn elokuvajuhlilta, Helsingin Sanomat 8.7.1993. 

Watch or download The Stain from “4mations.tv”:http://www.4mations.tv/ or archive.org

The film is available as British Animation Awards compilation DVD “Desire & Sexuality: Animating the Unconscious”, Vol 1. from “British Animation Awards”:http://www.britishanimationawards.com/