| Memory of Water | |
|---|---|
 Original Finnish film poster | |
| Directed by | Saara Saarela |
| Written by | Ilja Rautsi |
| Based on | Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta |
| Produced by | Misha Jaari Mark Lwoff |
| Starring | Saga Sarkola Mimosa Willamo Lauri Tilkanen Pekka Strang Minna Haapkylä |
| Cinematography | Kjell Lagerroos |
| Edited by | Jussi Rautaniemi |
| Music by | Hauschka |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | B-Plan Distribution |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Countries | Finland Germany Norway Estonia |
| Languages | Finnish English |
| Budget | €3.4 million[1] |
Memory of Water (Finnish: Veden vartija) is a 2022 Finnish sci-fi drama film directed by Saara Saarela. Based on the novel Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta,[2] the film takes place in the dystopian future in the Scandinavian Union led by a military government, where there is a shortage of fresh water as a result of an environmental disaster.[3] The film is starring by Saga Sarkola, Mimosa Willamo, Lauri Tilkanen, Pekka Strang and Minna Haapkylä.[2][4]
The film was shot in 2020 in Estonia, Germany and Norway.[4][5] The actual production process of the film already started in the fall of 2015, and it was supposed to be in theaters in March 2022, but the corona restrictions moved the premiere to the fall of the same year.[6] The film's budget was €3.4 million.[1][4][5]
The film was premiered in Finland on 2 September 2022. It received a mixed reception from critics, partly praising its accurate world view,[7] while partly criticizing the cliché of the plot.[8]
Plot
In the future, the world will run out of fresh water. Noria (Saga Sarkola), a young woman from a small village who is preparing to become a tea master, finds out the secret of her family: they guard a secret spring in the middle of the tundra. While the military government that controls the Scandinavian Union from Asia tightens discipline, Noria is left alone with her secret when her father (Tommi Eronen) dies. Noria finds out an even more dangerous secret from her father's remains: in the "Lost Lands", thought to be polluted, may still have fresh water. Noria's only support is her cynical friend Sanja (Mimosa Willamo), who, being poorer, suffers worse from the drought. While Noria's secrets drive her and Sanja apart, Noria gets closer to the optimistic businessman Taro (Lauri Tilkanen), who says that he has come to solve the village's water shortage, but, unbeknownst to Noria, he has completely different intentions. In the end, Noria must escape, save Sanja and find out if there is still hope for the unlivable world.
Cast
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See also
References
- 1 2 "B-Plan Distribution Archives - Page 2 of 2" (in Finnish). Finnish Film Foundation. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- 1 2 "Veden vartija". Elonet (in Finnish). Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- ↑ Kinnunen, Krista (5 September 2022). "Memory of Water combines sci-fi and drama on a grand scale". Aalto University. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- 1 2 3 Mäntylä, Eveliina (4 August 2020). "Yli kolmen miljoonan euron Veden vartija -elokuvan kuvaukset on aloitettu Virossa, rooleissa muun muassa Mimosa Willamo, Saga Sarkola ja Lauri Tilkanen". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- 1 2 Mettänen, Heli (20 August 2022). "Uutta suomalaiselokuvaa tehdään jättibudjetilla – tuottaja paljastaa: "Alkoi jo vähän pelottaa kokoluokka"". Iltalehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- ↑ "Korona pilasi kotimaisen scifi-elokuvan ensi-illan – Veden vartija julkaistaan vasta syksyllä". Muropaketti (in Finnish). 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- ↑ Kartastenpää, Tero (1 September 2022). "Veden vartija on puutteineenkin paras tähän mennessä tehty suomalainen tieteiselokuva" [Even with its flaws, Memory of Water is the best Finnish science fiction film made so far.]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- ↑ Lehti, Aki (2 September 2022). "Veden vartija on komea, mutta ontto scifi-elokuva, johon on nähty valtavasti vaivaa" [Memory of Water is a handsome, but hollow sci-fi film that has gone into a lot of effort.]. Muropaketti (in Finnish). Retrieved 26 October 2023.