"I'm a psycho
psychologist", an eerie and ironic quote taken from the main character, Saara, in the dark and ever so strange love triangle story entangled in the film, Black Ice, written and directed by Petri Kotwica in 2007. Setting the stage for this dark and ominous film, Saara, a middle-aged gynecologist and supposedly happily married to her husband, Leo, says this peculiar quote the first time she meets her husbands apparent lover, Tuuli, after discovering intimate e-mails exchanged between her and Leo. Tuuli is a student of Leo's at an architecture school and is also a part time karate instructor, which Saara enrolls in order to do a little sleuthing of her own to see what kind of person the man she loves would cheat on her with. Throughout the karate class and unbeknownst to Leo, Saara takes on a new identity and becomes unexpectedly close friends with Tuuli, creating a complex web of half truths, lies, and deceit that puts viewers on the edge of their seat wondering when or if the intricate love triangle will come crashing down on Saara, Tuuli, and Leo.
Black Ice undoubtedly contains fantastic acting and powerful performances by all three main characters, which is key to the film's underlying themes and extraordinary storyline. Saara, played by Outi Mäenpää, plays a fantastically curious wife trying to figure out why her seemingly "good" husband is having an affair with a young student, Tuuli. Tuuli, played by Ria Kataja, is a seemingly bright, eager, and caring young woman searching for love and affection and finds it with her architecture professor, Leo. Martti Suosalo plays the role of Leo, whom is "happily" married to Saara and pleads his love for her which is seen in the opening scene of the film when Leo tells Saara how content he is being with her and how eager he is to be with her, and only her.
The reoccurring theme in Nordic film of infidelity is very prevalent in Black Ice, and in fact is at the center of the entire plot throughout the film. As stated above, Leo cheats on his wife, Saara, who is anything but happy when she finds out this daunting truth about her husband. To get "back" at Leo, Saara indulges in a one-night stand of her own, which only complicates things. Saara does this in retaliation to Leo's actions, and two wrongs definitely in this case don't make a right, but Leo is portrayed and lives up to the cliché that the man is the sole "bad guy" in situations like this one. This speaks to Petri Kotwica's writing and how he incorporates women as the "powerful" ones. Moreover, Saara and Tuuli are eventually seen throughout the movie as "equal". Kotwica develops both character's beautifully and has the patience to tell his story mainly through his fine actors and actresses, not through the film's images. For example, instead of Saara confronting Tuuli from the get go about the affair, the drawn out relationship between Saara and Tuuli gives the audience a sense of compassion and concern that women have for their most closest loved ones.
This brings up another strong theme apparent in the film; love. It is obvious that Saara loves Leo and will go to great lengths to confirm one hundred percent that he indeed is cheating on her. The strong emotion of love can blind a person from the inevitable truth and can cause people involved to do things and act a certain way that is very different from who they truly are. This is seen when the film reveals that Saara has a strong urge to kill Leo's lover, Tuuli. Undoubtedly, this is not a normal thought for a prestigious and moral doctor such as Saara and definitely not a part of her daily life and personal values. Interestingly enough, the majority of the plot focuses on the relationship and the blooming love between Saara and Tuuli.
In my opinion, an important underlying theme to note in Black Ice is the fact that under any circumstance, infidelity is wrong and can only end up badly for both parties. Leo learns the hard way that having an affair and cheating on your wife can only lead down a dark and lonely path to destruction. Being faithful to your spouse is of utmost importance, and anything short of being faithful is wrong and will inevitably lead to all parties involved being hurt.
Overall, I felt that the movie accomplished the goal of keeping it's audience entertained and on the edge of their seat. Mixing in multiple relationships with fireworks and surprises at every turn, I would give this film a 9.5 out of 10. The strangeness of the love triangle is one that is very different from films in the Untied States, and I truly enjoyed the character's development and how all the pieces ended up fitting together in the dark, love twisted film of Black Ice.
Black Ice undoubtedly contains fantastic acting and powerful performances by all three main characters, which is key to the film's underlying themes and extraordinary storyline. Saara, played by Outi Mäenpää, plays a fantastically curious wife trying to figure out why her seemingly "good" husband is having an affair with a young student, Tuuli. Tuuli, played by Ria Kataja, is a seemingly bright, eager, and caring young woman searching for love and affection and finds it with her architecture professor, Leo. Martti Suosalo plays the role of Leo, whom is "happily" married to Saara and pleads his love for her which is seen in the opening scene of the film when Leo tells Saara how content he is being with her and how eager he is to be with her, and only her.
The reoccurring theme in Nordic film of infidelity is very prevalent in Black Ice, and in fact is at the center of the entire plot throughout the film. As stated above, Leo cheats on his wife, Saara, who is anything but happy when she finds out this daunting truth about her husband. To get "back" at Leo, Saara indulges in a one-night stand of her own, which only complicates things. Saara does this in retaliation to Leo's actions, and two wrongs definitely in this case don't make a right, but Leo is portrayed and lives up to the cliché that the man is the sole "bad guy" in situations like this one. This speaks to Petri Kotwica's writing and how he incorporates women as the "powerful" ones. Moreover, Saara and Tuuli are eventually seen throughout the movie as "equal". Kotwica develops both character's beautifully and has the patience to tell his story mainly through his fine actors and actresses, not through the film's images. For example, instead of Saara confronting Tuuli from the get go about the affair, the drawn out relationship between Saara and Tuuli gives the audience a sense of compassion and concern that women have for their most closest loved ones.
This brings up another strong theme apparent in the film; love. It is obvious that Saara loves Leo and will go to great lengths to confirm one hundred percent that he indeed is cheating on her. The strong emotion of love can blind a person from the inevitable truth and can cause people involved to do things and act a certain way that is very different from who they truly are. This is seen when the film reveals that Saara has a strong urge to kill Leo's lover, Tuuli. Undoubtedly, this is not a normal thought for a prestigious and moral doctor such as Saara and definitely not a part of her daily life and personal values. Interestingly enough, the majority of the plot focuses on the relationship and the blooming love between Saara and Tuuli.
In my opinion, an important underlying theme to note in Black Ice is the fact that under any circumstance, infidelity is wrong and can only end up badly for both parties. Leo learns the hard way that having an affair and cheating on your wife can only lead down a dark and lonely path to destruction. Being faithful to your spouse is of utmost importance, and anything short of being faithful is wrong and will inevitably lead to all parties involved being hurt.
Overall, I felt that the movie accomplished the goal of keeping it's audience entertained and on the edge of their seat. Mixing in multiple relationships with fireworks and surprises at every turn, I would give this film a 9.5 out of 10. The strangeness of the love triangle is one that is very different from films in the Untied States, and I truly enjoyed the character's development and how all the pieces ended up fitting together in the dark, love twisted film of Black Ice.