World-premiering in the Nordic Competition of the 49th Göteborg Film Festival, Tell Everyone [+lire aussi :
interview : Alli Haapasalo
fiche film] is Finnish director Alli Haapasalo’s third feature, following the acclaimed Girl Picture [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Alli Haapasalo
fiche film], winner of the 2022 Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Competition Audience Award, and 2016’s Love and Fury [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film].

We’re taken back to 1898 and some gorgeously bucolic scenery, if only on the surface. It’s witnessed in the very first shot, sporting well-bred fellows in straw hats and fair ladies in fleece on an idyllic boat ride across a lake as picturesque as any of Finland’s many thousands. The fairest one stands at the fore, thoughtfully contemplating the view. Upon arrival, she’s met by a woman who remarks on this “beautiful day given by God”, and is then released from the rail to which she’s been handcuffed during the crossing. She’s about to get committed to a special hospital for women with psychiatric problems on the island of Seili in the Turku archipelago, which housed such an institution up until 1962.

“Insania epileptica menstrualis” is the diagnosis attributed to “prisoner” Amanda Altonen, 26, whose journal states that she’s lived a debauched and idle life. By contemporary standards, Amanda suffers from PMDD, or Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. Back then, such a condition would have been more than enough for a woman to be put away and made to do hard work in nurture and admonition of the Lord. Amanda’s a powerhouse of integrity (very convincingly brought to the screen by Marketta Tikkanen), but is again a cause for concern in the story itself (based on screenwriter Katja Kallio’s original novel, in turn based on authentic cases) and referred to as “a hothead and difficult person”. This is proven by Amanda’s immediate proclamation upon entering the institution: “I’m not staying.” The instant reaction from the ward nurse comes in the form of “Hmmm…”, with an undertone of “Keep dreaming…”. In the days to come, Amanda will hear words akin to “No one’s ever got out of here” from both staff and “prisoners” like “nymphomaniac” Josefina, who has been in residence for 20 years, and Little Greta, abused by her uncle and promptly told by her mother to get rid of the baby. To these women, this is home.

Several filmed accounts of similar bygone institutions have been seen: Marius Holst’s King of Devil's Island [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film], playing out in the Bastøy youth reform school in Norway, and Peter Mullan’s The Magdalene Sisters [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film], depicting the Irish asylums for “fallen women”, come to mind. The premise chosen for Tell Everyone does indeed share traits with such films but differs in a major way: the idyllic setting shown in the opening shots and running throughout. Add to this the fundamentally kind-hearted treatment from the caretakers, which represents an almost startling discrepancy compared to the usual sadistic wardens and overseers. This in itself sets an unnerving tone and is just one of Haapasalo’s refined ways of enhancing this compelling and ultimately compassionate story. Shot in almost painterly fashion by Jarmo Kiuru, a strong contender for Göteborg’s special Sven Nykvist Cinematography Award, and lovingly cast with a veritable dream team of female Finnish thespians, this is as classical as it is modern. As for the headstrong Amanda, one hopes she’ll one day fly over this cuckoo’s nest.

Tell Everyone is a Finnish-Swedish co-production staged by Helsinki Filmi Oy. Its world sales are handled by LevelK.