I had a hunch that the only criticism one might read about this movie is about the "BDSM culture" and how this movie fails to portray it. It's as much about BDSM culture as Lolita is about pedophilia - newsflash, it's not about it. It's also not a documentary. It's art. Chill out.

That being said. The movie is very minimal and I personally loved it. Almost every frame has a meaning and it's not a movie to casually eyeball over. The duet of Krista Kosonen and Pekka Strang is magnificent. Great film making and acting over here, I truly appreciate it.

So if you're interested in some nordic noir, some scandinavian weirdness, the poster and the name tickles you... give this film a chance.

There's a moment in your past that has affected, the way you interface and stay connected, and it's taken quite a tangent, it involves a bottle of scent, but that's what makes you stand tall, fully erected. It starts with replication of that moment, when your world turned upside down with flooded torment, and you've found another soul, she is the south to your north pole, you couldn't hope for a more invested, proponent. But the path to your salvation is not easy, and it may make the odd folk a little queasy, it might take your breath away, there may be plier-work at play, and to some, it may be thought of as, quite sleazy.

"What takes the lion's share of the story is Juha's drab life, his home is as antiseptic as his working place, the communication between him and Elli is occluded, he prefers a BDSM session over Elli's band performance in the school, which says a lot about what a parent he is, and we aren't informed if his wife's decease is an accident or not, is there marital strife in the play? Meanwhile, the fascinating Mona is utilized solely as an enigma, is playing dominatrix a side hustle for fast cash or stems from her id? It could be both but the answer is moot. Again, there is no pleasure in their role play, Juha only wants to experience the feeling of suffocation to re-live that drowning tragedy, to meet his dead wife again, underwater and breathless, not the frisson of ASMR or orgasm. And a po-faced Mona is a pro doing her routines with as less emotional attachment as possible, she doesn't seem to enjoy what she does, not for a minute, if anything, only some unspecified disturbance are looming beneath her spandex get-up. So, if the story sounds perversely erotic, Valeapää's execution is rather somber, un-sexy and queasy (fingernail-pulling and tooth-pulling are far from the nexus of BDSM), and when Mona's professional facade predictably cracks, we are not any the wiser."

read my full review on my blog: Cinema Omnivore, thanks.