Here we have an alcoholic father and his four immature, jobless sons. The Hirvonens, leading absolutely thoughtless lives, are now in deep, deep trouble. One day, Father tries to get some money by robbing a liquor store with his sons but fails miserably, only to get arrested and sent to prison. The gangsters on the block are threatening to kill them if they don’t pay back the debt. Helpless and almost idiotically optimistic, they have no option whatsoever but to sit around and wait, watching porn and telling humourless jokes. Right then Saara arrives, a girl Father had from a one-night fling. Lade, the eldest boy, comes to find out their newly arrived little sister has an extraordinary gift that might save them all. But first, they have to win Saara’s love and trust. It’s literally the classic situation of “Gather together, or you’ll all die.” If you come together as a family, you can survive. If you fail your family members’ love and trust, you’re certain to die. With Saara’s arrival, the Hirvonen boys have to face a moral ordeal, much like the knights’ quest of olde. In this respect, this film is a modern western fable about an angel at your doorstep. Though useless at best, the Hirvonens are goodness itself and quite harmless. Strangely, they manage to win the audience’s affection. Saara’s voice, always on the verge of breakdown, gives off a unique charm adding refreshing musical elements to this indefinable film. The film pulls a straight face at some of the most ridiculous and extreme situations we’ve ever seen. Sometimes the film feels naive and childish to the point of making us giggle but it’s still lovely and, above all, apparently belongs to a culture other than that of ours. Yes, this film is from Finland, where lives a magical girl who can see the stars even with 7 layers of blindfolds on. (KIM Sun-hyung)