Jukka Kärkkäinen: Tomorrow was Yesterday
A very banal and normal story that all families have experienced: Old age hits grandmother or grandfather, or mother or father, who have started a life of forgetfullness, as is the case with Maja, the mother and grandmother of this film that due to a gifted filmmaker tells the story we all know not only in a recognisable way but also gives it a more universal, existential perspective on losing life and identity.
She is a lovely old lady but she is not able to cope with the practicalities any longer. She sits in her big bed with her doll, trying to reach the phone before it is too late, singing along with the songs of her youth coming from the radio. She is in another world. Her daughter visits her but it is too much for her to organise the life of her mother, so god bless the granddaughter who communicates with the authorities knowing that it is impossible to avoid that Maja must be moved to an old people’s home. They love her, the camera loves her and there are great moments of laughter in this film, where Jukka Kärkkäinen again (like in ”The Living Room of a Nation”) demonstrates an enormous talent for conveying contemporary life with beauty, respect and sadness.
