The Antics of a Metal Band: A Discussion on Heavy Trip

Heavy Trip, directed by Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio

Most people dream of making it big, but don’t have the courage to get there. They refuse to get back up when they stumble along the way. In Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio’s Finnish comedy Heavy Trip, Turo is the lead vocalist for a heavy metal band who has not gotten a gig for the last twelve years. When a promoter passes by their small town, he tries to get over his fear of performing in front of a large crowd and does whatever it takes to launch their career at a popular music festival in Norway.

The first act of the film seems all too familiar to the audience: a band wants to be successful in the music industry, Turo lies to his crush to impress her, and the townspeople make fun of guys with long hair. Laatio and Vidgren portrays the metal band as underdogs and outcasts in their small town, and you can tell that they will eventually achieve their goal of playing at the festival. At first glance, the film features dominant cinema techniques that make it easier for the audience to follow the plot. Boy, were we wrong to think that Heavy Trip would be similar to Hollywood films! By the time the third act rolls in, one of the main characters suddenly die, the rest of the band digs out his coffin from the ground, and a mental patient is kidnapped from his ward. The absurdity of the scenes reminds us of the 2012 French film Holy Motors, where we asked ourselves, “What’s going on in the film?” Scenes come out of nowhere, such as when the Swedish authorities attacked an unsuspecting bachelor party group in ridiculous outfits. Yet, rather than the confusion and bewilderment you might feel while watching Holy Motors, you can’t help but laugh at the antics of the band just to get to the festival. You may not understand the events that unfold in the film, similar to how incomprehensible heavy metal songs may seem to most people. Precisely, the directors are asking you to just watch the scenes like how you would just listen to a heavy metal song without trying to interpret the lyrics.

Aside from the crazy antics, what made the film interesting is how the personalities of the band members and the town’s attitude towards them are different from what you might expect. Heavy metal is often related to machismo, and members are expected to talk about sex, drugs, and Satan. People see them as aggressive and powerful because of the energy they exude. However, the members in the film are underdogs, shy towards their crushes, and mistreated by other townspeople. They insult Turo by saying that he is a homo, contrary to the usual machismo image of heavy metal. In this case, we see a glimpse of reality, a peek into the candid lives of a heavy metal band. It all makes sense, though, because as the film ends, you cannot help but root for these underdogs who went through an insane ordeal just to achieve their dream.

Nothing to Hide: But Everyone’s Got Something (Bonus)

Given the variety of movies that we watched this semester, I wanted to try something new and watch a more modern European film in a different genre, more like the ones that I usually watch. I came across Fred Cavayé’s Nothing to Hide, a dramatic comedy which caught my attention and just looks like a typical movie about friends. However, watching it really changed what I initially thought the movie would be and it added to one of the surprisingly great movies that I watched so far. It had a very simple plot but the complexity of the characters and the revelations unveiled as the film went on just caught me by surprise and it was definitely worth the watch.

The film revolves around a normal group of couple friends on a night with a rare eclipse. At first, I did not really understand the significance of the eclipse but then the film’s ending just blew my mind and made me think twice about the whole movie. The main premise of the film is that they play a game wherein everyone puts their phones on the dinner table and whenever a phone rings, they have to read the message that they received aloud or answer the call on speakerphone. At first, it might seem like a typical movie but once the phones start to ring, each of the characters’ secrets start to come out and the movie just gets more and more intense from then on. From revealing hidden secrets like being homosexual to all kinds of cheating and figuring out that someone was going to have a baby with his mistress, every plot twist and revelation were both shocking and heartbreaking. It helped that the characters were very interesting and likable, but then contrary to the film’s title, everyone has something to hide. They were very charismatic and the brilliance of their acting were very believable that made me really feel their frustrations and heartbreaks.

Being a dramatic comedy, Nothing to Hide still included parts of humor wherein it showcased the realistic and fun aspect of the film. You can see the bond that the group of friends had and made it seem like they were all normal. However, when put to the test, questions such as what would happen if you can view the phone of your partner sparked suspicion among the couples that eventually led them to playing the game. These questions even spark curiosity to the viewers because you may start to think about it as well. The dramatic aspects of the film were really captivating as people started confronting each other and their secrets were forced to be revealed. Everyone started doubting their partners and the tension whenever a phone rings was really felt.

In the end, they all leave the apartment, the eclipse ends, and things go back to the way they were which reveals that the game did not really happen. The structure of the film really made me think because it seemed like a simple story but then it never actually happened. This even makes things worse because it just goes to show that they were all hiding their secrets from each other and I guess eventually, these secrets would have to come out. I would have to say that I really liked the film and it really made me think about how every person is hiding something and it is inevitable that the truth always comes out, so I believe. Despite the simplicity of the story, the plot and the performance really kept me hooked and made the film captivating. I was definitely enticed to see more European films like this to see how they compare to the films that I usually watch.

Heavy Trip

In Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren’s Heavy Trip is one of the most mainstream films that we have watched for our class. It was quite interesting to see a film about outsiders in the context of the country of Finland. This is an example of how similar European films can be with the mainstream Hollywood movies, but was able to be different by encapsulating it in their specific cultural context. The film was very effective because of the likability of the protagonists, who were portrayed in a way that does not usually appear in films, and the overall vibe of the film with the comedy used to enrich the storyline.

The film is generally very easy to watch, which is in contrast to our more artistic oriented film that we have watched. The film is the film that is most similar to the films that are normally seen in mainstream Hollywood films. This shows that European is not just about rebelling from the mainstream films that Hollywood has put out. Films, like Heavy Trip, can embrace the purpose of being made for the enjoyment of the audience. They do not need to have a deeper and more profound style of storytelling. They just need to have an uplifting story that can inspire the audience.

Another aspect that I felt was a successful in the film is the depiction of outsiders as the protagonists. It shows a band of outsiders, lead by Turo, that are not depicted often in film as seen in the use of a heavy metal rock band in the center. Rather than having common characters that are mainstays in films, these group of oddball were able to bring something new through the culture of the heavy metal genre. We get to see a faction of society, that is so little seen, so we get to understand their community more. I also liked that the film subverted from stereotypes of the characters and instead made them more round. This is seen through them wanting to be the typical heavy metal band, but they also have their own quirkiness to show.

The film’s storyline was easy to observe because it was linear. It had a normal structure and did not digress to using outside of the box techniques to tell the story. I did find it bizarre that at the middle of the film one of the main characters was killed, most likely for emotional purposes and to be a factor in the story arch of the main character. It was weird to see that an important character was killed of in the middle of the film and was kinda frustrating that it was just for the story arch of the other main characters to come in fruition. I found it to be a cheap way to develop the characters and to incite an emotion from the audience. But, I did like the second half of the film, wherein the storyline became more bizarre by the minute. It was no longer telling a typical underdog story because through their use of comedy they inputted various entertaining storylines that were quite engaging. It also require the audience to embrace the absurdity that is happening on screen. Through this we get to enjoy this aspect of the storytelling of the film more.

Enrico R. Barruela COM 115.5

heavy trip

Heavy Trip is a living proof that European cinema isn’t always serious or weird or confusing; it can be pretty fun and funny too! Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio’s Heavy Trip is a musical comedy about a group of a wannabe heavy metal band that plays “symphonic, post-apocalyptic, reindeer-grinding, Christ-abusing, extreme war pagan, Fennoscandian metal,” according to the band’s bassist, Pasi. They’re a group of 4 aspiring artists who have been practicing for 12 years in one of their parents’ basement, but never once played in front of an audience. When they finally get the opportunity to do so, they grab it. When a music promoter visits their town to buy reindeer blood from the lead’s family-owed reindeer store, the band rushes to record a demo and gives it to the promoter. The fun continues from there on.

Before watching the film, our professor introduced Heavy Trip by saying that it’s one of his favorite films that he really enjoyed watching and that he wanted to end the semester for us graduating seniors with this beautifully fun movie. His remark hyped up the film for me, so I felt really excited to watch the film that would conclude my European film class. And boy was Sir right! Heavy Trip is a heartfelt movie that talks about family, friendship, love, and passion, and they presented this beautifully in the film. Although I’m not a fan of heavy metal music (in fact I consider it as the music genre that I really can’t tolerate even if I try), I feel that there’s a heavy symbolism for its use, making it the most appropriate kind of movie for the story of Impaled Rektum. The film suggests that heavy metal music can be an outlet for the marginalized and the oppressed because of the loud music and screaming voices that could represent their anger and frustrations. This is of course given Turo’s context who is always bullied and mocked by the people in his village for not fulfilling that expected masculine stereotype. Another thing I liked about the film was its humor. The film made us effortlessly laugh without being offensive; simply just because it was naturally funny and genuine. The characters were also very dorky yet lovable. They made you feel sorry for their situation and their circumstance so you feel bad for them, making you really empathize and want to support them. They may be going through tough realities, but they also made you laugh so hard that it’s overall just a good time watching the film.

Overall, I think this was the best way to end the semester. It was such a light-hearted film that not only makes you laugh but also inspires you to work hard for your dreams. I may not be able to relate directly to their problem in terms of their music, but I’m confident that they were able to speak to those who face challenges and hardships with trying and working to get the recognition they deserve in the music industry. This movie is definitely a must-watch!

Heavy Trip

HEAVY TRIP

European cinema can be fun, too.

The variety of films we’ve watched in this class has ranged from the slightly strange (A Woman is a Woman) to the absolutely absurd (Holy Motors). From films in the sixties to the more contemporary films – from films that don’t make sense (and aren’t meant to) to simply beautiful human stories exploring themes of love, family, and history, European cinema has expressed its range and versatility, and an ability to define itself in the universal cinematic universe by standing out in whatever way it deems appropriate. While Heavy Trip may initially seem to fall into the latter category of film, premised on a simple story of a heavy metal brand trying to make its way in the musical world, it nonetheless retains characteristics other make it distinctly European, distinstly odd, and distinctly memorable. Despite retaining comedic themes rather comparable to its American counterparts such as Jackass or American Pie, Heavy Trip does so in a way that its comedy never becomes slapstick (not that slapstick films are wrong or unenjoyable). Despite a plethora of raunch-y or at times offensive jokes, the viewer still laughs because it’s funny – something I believe is underappreciated in comedic films. To be ostentatiously funny without being ratchet or offensive.

The characters in the film are all so distinct and unique in their own ways (binded solely by their love of metal music) that it is almost impossible for one not to be able to relate to at least one of the characters, or even to all of them as a collective. Though not a film driven by deep character development, all of them nonetheless have a story which we are exposed to, and allow us to further empathise with them. Finally, they are so distinctly lovable in their relationships with and towards one another, almost making their dark and death-heavy heavy metal physical appearance laughable. It is difficult to take them seriously, and yet we love them all the same – a critical aspect of many films, but one that makes it rather distinct from other European films.

As the film progresses into more and more absurd scenarios (digging up the dead drummer, the final ending sequence), its existence as a European film becomes more and more clear and distinct from its American counterparts or traditional cinema in general that always seeks to promote linearity and understandability in its plots and storylines. And yet at this point, it’s difficult to care. Heavy Trip is one of those movies directed in such a way that quite literally anything could happen – even the most absurd scenarios (perhaps, jumping off a cliff and living?) – and we would not question it. It is directed in such a way that we will continue watching, more than to know what happens next (I was late to my next class trying to finish this film, but no regrets!) but simply because of our utmost enjoyment of watching it. I was late to my next class trying to finish the film and yet I have absolutely no regrets.

Heavy Trip was the perfect film with which to end the semester – it reminds us to remember our passions, find them, work for them, but also not to take life too seriously and enjoy everything and anything that may come our way. Life, after all, can be ridiculous – let’s not forget to enjoy it.

Thank you for the semester Sir! I truly enjoyed it and learned so so sooo much!

Impaled Rektum

Before watching this film, my initial expectation of the film would be that it would be about very serious and maybe even tragic journey because of its title. Then as I watched the start, and saw how it was about a heavy metal band, I thought this was for going to be serious and dark because that is what comes to my mind when I think of heavy metal. Heavy metal has songs that revolve around death and violence, and so it lead me to think that the film would follow this theme. I was soon proven wrong as I continued watching further because this film was the opposite. It is a witty and playful film that is not to be taken so seriously.

I really enjoyed the film, Heavy Trip, because of its interesting story and light hearted comedy. The plot is fairly straightforward because it follows a Hollywood style narrative, and so it is easier to understand as compared to the past films. Even though the story is a bit cliche, I still enjoyed the story because of how it tells a story of overcoming adversities in order to follow your dream. It revolves around a heavy metal rock band, and it shows the particular struggles they faced in becoming famous while keeping it witty and funny. One scene in the film that really struck me was when they were trying to come up with an original song because all these time they have only been playing covers. I found it funny how their first original song came from an accident wherein one of the members puts a goat into the chopper, and the sound that comes out is what gives inspiration for the first song. Another moment I enjoyed was when the band members are caught by the police at the edge of the cliff, and I thought that was the end of it because how were they going to escape. Then the group decides to just jump off a really high cliff without really thinking about the dangers. This scene really shows how unorthodox and spontaneous this movie can get.

I believe that the film’s purpose is not merely to bring out laughs and just plainly be a comedy, but it is also here to teach a lot of valuable lessons as well. It teaches us in being perseverant especially when it comes to pursuing our dreams. Despite the many obstacles they faced such as being discriminated, finding a way to the concert, and even losing their original drummer, they still managed to push through all of that and become a famous band. It also taught me that friendship is something we can always rely on when things get tough. I do not think they would have been successful if they separated or had given up. This film also gives us a lesson about not judging a book by its cover because a person can be much different from how we may initially perceive him. We just need to keep an open mind and take time to truly understand someone. Lastly, the film taught me that our dreams are not as crazy as we think they are if we just give it a chance and pursue it.

Heavy Trip: On a (Light-Hearted) Highway to Hell

One thing that I realized coming out of Heavy Trip was that this is one comedy movie that you don’t need to fully understand to enjoy. It was unpredictable, hilarious, extremely weird, but charming in its own way. Each of the band members were personalities in their own right, giving off different perspectives and colors to the film. The plot and comedic timing were almost perfectly executed, albeit having dry and parody-like humor.

Within the first few minutes of the film, we get to follow the life of main character Turo, and his misadventures with his yet unnamed heavy metal band. One can already tell that they are outcasts in society, since Turo is called names such as loser and gay by his neighbors as he bikes to Lotvonen’s house. For one, I got to empathize with his character because all he wanted to do was be himself and pursue his passion, but he has gotten so much criticism for being “different”. But once he is reunited with his longtime friends, they jam to a metal song and the mood is significantly lifted. Seeing how seriously they take the band and their career can make one chuckle, but it is also admirable to see these small town friends dream big.

The action picks up when they discover their “sound” accidentally, write and head bang to their first original song, and almost secure a spot on Northern Damnation as if by fate. This springboards Turo’s confidence, as he starts to talk to Miia and wants to impress her—by lying about their gig. As much as one wants to root for and relates to his character, what he did was essentially wrong, and we get to see it backfire later on. He is revealed to have a really bad case of stage fright, and while the vomiting scene was scarily disgusting, it was too funny to take one’s eyes off the screen.

The band then faces many setbacks and hardships, including Jynkky dying, stealing Jouni’s tour bus, kidnapping a musically talented psychopath, almost getting arrested as terrorists in the border, and, seemingly, jumping off a cliff into their death. Even though these events would seem very dire in a normal movie, this one just exceeds your expectations. The boys didn’t die in the fall, and instead make their way into and play in dream festival, Northern Damnation. Turo gets the girl, and even the approval of her overly-protective police father.

All in all, the film was made to be a light-hearted, quirky comedy movie. There were so many ways this could have gone wrong, and there were a few kinks, but overall I enjoyed it too much to care. Never would I have thought that I would like a movie about a heavy metal Finnish band, but Heavy Trip proved me otherwise. It was able to flesh out admirable yet adorkable characters, make one feel bad about their circumstance but also laugh out loud at the same time, and genuinely appreciate metal in a non-parodic and sarcastic way.

Caged Cannibals: Reflections on Raw

For all of us, college was a scary step into a new world of freedom. Compared to high school, the authority that limited our experiences now really couldn’t care less about what we do in college. We’re allowed to mingle more, go out, and experience even the things that we thought were bad when we were younger. Having this much freedom after growing up in a very secure environment was sort of a drug to many because of the excitement it brings. In the movie Raw directed by Julia Ducournau, the character Alexia best exemplifies this as she openly and even initiates many of the wild college activities we see in the film. Yet there are some, like Alexia’s sister, Justine, whose first experience of college is a scary step outside the safety of her once innocent life. The interactions between the two sisters show us the kind of growth the youth experience on their last step towards adulthood. Sometimes however, this experience can go beyond our own limitations, pushing us to do things we never even considered doing. In the film’s case, cannibalism could possibly be the best way to show such transition, as both girls grow into the almost primitive life in college.

More than just a cannibal film, Raw shows us a perspective on the coming-of-age of two sisters, who seem to be polar opposites of each other. Alexia shows a more liberated and carefree attitude, while Justine seems to be timid and uptight at first. But, as the story progresses, it was discovered that the two had a taste for human flesh. It was through their cannibalistic experiences together, which began with Justine eating her sister’s finger, that they were able to open themselves up to conflict not just within themselves and with each other, but also with their lives outside the comfort of their restrictive parents.

Cannibalism was a way to show how the two girls were growing out of their youth. However, in my perspective, such actions were symbolic of the extreme ways they experienced such event. It showed them in a primitive light; almost animal-like and without a care for morals and ethics. They were hungry for the freedom they got, so much so that they couldn’t get enough of it. It was violent because it was as if they were so limited and restricted in their lives with their parents that the splurged on bad habits in college. Yet, the mistakes that they did often resulted to maturity. Justine best exemplifies this by the way her character progresses in the film. At first, she was uneasy with her new life but grew into it and even began taking care of her sister, despite harming her. A necessary violence, whether physical or emotional, was necessary for both sisters to realize the maturity that is needed outside their restrictive family lives, most especially with each other.

The film may have been gory, but it does not fail to show us a piece of our lives in college, or that transition stage between childhood to adulthood. It shows us that freedom can be both liberating and violent. I have to say that Raw is one of my favorites so far because it was able to utilize the coming-of-age theme by applying grotesque scenes such as cannibalism.

Heavy Trip: A Trip to end all Trips

This movie was great. The movie follows a familiar scenario when an upstart band wants to prove their worth as metal rock band. Excited for their big gig, they had to evade their enemies and people stopping them by driving through them, a metal thing to do. This movie utilized the element of heavy metal to a huge degree. Comedic takes from them getting their mixtape to a big event organizer to them creating a song out of a reindeer stuck in a grinder was wicked and cool that only a movie like this would accomplish. While the idea of metal is over-the-top even in the music industry, the characters are well grounded in how they desired for being acknowledged and even accepted in their local community. Against all odds, they needed this to show what they are capable of and prove the bad guys wrong – a tale told countless times.

Movies that did this sort of scenario are movies like the Lego Movie, Zootopia, and The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, where all of the heroes were underestimated by their peers and rose up to prove themselves. All of the movies mentioned are animated, kids’ movies that have a happy ending where the hero triumphs despite their enemies and even community attempts to put them in their place. They proved them wrong, a theme seen in this film. In a radical way, the film embraces the metal and tries to present this narrative in a metal way. Metal music, metal attitude, and metal references are sprinkled around the film to make the film comedic and ridiculous at the same time. Despite it having a simplistic narrative akin to the kids’ movies mentioned, Heavy Trip is also about a movie about companionship and living one’s dreams. Being recognized by their community is a dream of theirs and they needed to prove their mettle somehow someway. A very treaded narrative but executed as if it were new. Heavy Trip relives the metal in everyone and makes the audience want to support their cause because of their hilarity and antics as both a metal band and a group of friends.

For me, this movie really was a pleasant end of the semester. It left a pleasant feeling when the band performed their piece to an audience that listened and enjoyed them. The culmination of their work was celebrated by the ears that wanted to listen to them. That was their dream all this time, to be heard by fans of metal. To me, it spoke to a person who understands the struggle for being recognized in a society which is competitive in the music industry. Sometimes, it takes perseverance and a good group of friends to get through these rough times. Learning from this film, embrace what you are and give it your all. The film adopts the usual narrative of these animated films but stylizes it through the ridiculous of rock and roll, or heavy metal. The movie is cool and rocks on!

L’Avventura: What

Oh boy, this movie was crazy. Not only was there an extra plot which the movie went for, but there was no closure for what happened with the missing woman, Anna. The story behind that was left dangling while a love story developed between Claudia and Sandro. Using the premise and feigning it as an inciting incident was a clever trick to attract attention to what happened with the missing woman. While we were curious of what had happened with Anna and her whereabouts, the story begins to separate itself something different. There are not many examples of films that use the introductory characters (and their disappearance) as a means to justify or situate a setting or plot. Especially when a good amount of screen time was given just for Anna. The movie then shifts into a love story between Claudia and Sandro, finding a way to mediate this strained or scuffed relationship. As one of the introductory films for this course, it really was a challenge to get through this movie due to its runtime and its shift in narrative.

While the movie was set in a black-and-white scene, the film manages to take on numerous vista shots, showing off cities and glamour shots of the island the characters were staying at. To its credit, it illustrates the adventure these characters took, from the moment Anna was missing to the very end. Despite the lack of color, there’s color in their expressions as the frustrations of their newfound relationship developed. The disappearance of Anna was left to accommodate this relationship and how Claudia can cope with her struggle of moving on.

As a character-driven movie, the film relies on the interactions of both Claudia and Sandro as they mention Anna over and over again. Given the runtime and how the film was black-and-white, the film for me was difficult to follow in times because of these concentration with their relationship and instead of the pressing matter of Anna’s disappearance.

The movie, in itself, is a tale about a relationship that should’ve been really about Anna. It subverted my expectations since I thought the adventure was looking for Anna and the possibility of Anna emerging from the narrative once more. Instead, the movie took its good time to develop the characters of Claudia and Sandro, a decision very bold in direction. It diverts the attention of the emergency situation and finds a place to create a conflict / romance between characters because of Anna’s disappearance.

In this sense, I appreciate the film for taking risks in diverting narratives. However, the length made it difficult to watch, and the characters themselves where hard to follow.