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IMDbPro

Tom of Finland

  • 20172017
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 57m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
5.9K
YOUR RATING
Pekka Strang in Tom of Finland (2017)
Touko Laaksonen, a decorated officer, returns home after a harrowing and heroic experience serving his country in World War II, but life in Finland during peacetime proves equally distressing. He finds peace-time Helsinki rampant with persecution of the homosexual men around him, even being pressured to marry women and have children. Touko finds refuge in his liberating art, specializing in homoerotic drawings of muscular men, free of inhibitions. His work - made famous by his signature 'Tom of Finland' - became the emblem of a generation of men and fanned the flames of a gay revolution.
Play trailer2:14
2 Videos
38 Photos
  • Biography
  • Drama
Award-winning filmmaker Dome Karukoski brings to screen the life and work of artist Touko Valio Laaksonen (aka Tom of Finland), one of the most influential and celebrated figures of 20th-cen... Read allAward-winning filmmaker Dome Karukoski brings to screen the life and work of artist Touko Valio Laaksonen (aka Tom of Finland), one of the most influential and celebrated figures of 20th-century gay culture.Award-winning filmmaker Dome Karukoski brings to screen the life and work of artist Touko Valio Laaksonen (aka Tom of Finland), one of the most influential and celebrated figures of 20th-century gay culture.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
5.9K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Dome Karukoski
  • Writers
    • Aleksi Bardy(screenplay)
    • Dome Karukoski(story by)
    • Mark Alton Brown(additional dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Pekka Strang
    • Seumas F. Sargent
    • Chris Myland
Top credits
  • Director
    • Dome Karukoski
  • Writers
    • Aleksi Bardy(screenplay)
    • Dome Karukoski(story by)
    • Mark Alton Brown(additional dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Pekka Strang
    • Seumas F. Sargent
    • Chris Myland
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 26User reviews
    • 86Critic reviews
    • 56Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 12 nominations

    Videos2

    Official U.S. Trailer
    Trailer 2:14
    Official U.S. Trailer
    Teaser Trailer
    Trailer 0:38
    Teaser Trailer

    Photos38

    Niklas Hogner in Tom of Finland (2017)
    Pekka Strang in Tom of Finland (2017)
    Pekka Strang, Jessica Grabowsky, and Lauri Tilkanen in Tom of Finland (2017)
    Dome Karukoski at an event for Tom of Finland (2017)
    Seumas F. Sargent at an event for Tom of Finland (2017)
    Pekka Strang at an event for Tom of Finland (2017)
    Dome Karukoski at an event for Tom of Finland (2017)
    Pekka Strang, Dome Karukoski, Jessica Grabowsky, and Seumas F. Sargent at an event for Tom of Finland (2017)
    Tom of Finland (2017)
    Tom of Finland (2017)
    Tom of Finland (2017)
    Tom of Finland (2017)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Pekka Strang
    Pekka Strang
    • Tom…
    Seumas F. Sargent
    Seumas F. Sargent
    • Doug
    • (as Seumas Sargent)
    Chris Myland
    • Security Person
    Alf Myreen
    • AD Artist
    Fabian Puregger
    • Tom's Dream Cop
    Lauri Tilkanen
    Lauri Tilkanen
    • Veli
    Roope Karisto
    • Young Man
    Taisto Oksanen
    Taisto Oksanen
    • Alijoki
    Emanuel Claesson
    • Man in Doorway
    Henri Keränen
    • Radio Operator…
    Jessica Grabowsky
    Jessica Grabowsky
    • Kaija
    Siim Maaten
    Siim Maaten
    • Russian Paratrooper
    Leif Edlund
    Leif Edlund
    • Moustache Man
    Niko Wirtanen
    • Bouncer at Hansa Bar
    Jari Forsman
    • Police Officer in the Park
    Niklas Hogner
    Niklas Hogner
    • Kake
    Martin Bahne
    • Gabriel
    Ksenia Lelesh
    • Maria
    • Director
      • Dome Karukoski
    • Writers
      • Aleksi Bardy(screenplay) (story by)
      • Dome Karukoski(story by)
      • Mark Alton Brown(additional dialogue)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      A surprise pick up for this film was by a Middle Eastern distribution company where LGBTQ content is strictly banned... The film is now playing on NETFLIX across all the Middle East.
    • Goofs
      The scene in the hospital when Tom brings Jack a bunny, the pillow is a Euro (square type not commonly used in the US) and not a standard sized one.
    • Quotes

      Tom: I'm going to draw something to publish. About life. Something that will make people happy.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Tähdet, tähdet: Elokuvamusiikki (2016)
    • Soundtracks
      Luinasi oli aina niin ihanaa
      Composed by Theo Mackeben and Hans Fritz Beckmann

      Original lyrics by Hildegard Knef

      Translated lyrics by Sauvo Puhtila (as Solja Tuuli)

    User reviews26

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    a well-made bio pic of the artist who transformed gay identity
    Australia is on the verge of a social milestone in the gay rights movement as it awaits the result of the marriage equality survey. This makes the historical bio-pic Tom of Finland (2017) a timely reminder of the dark history of homophobia and the liberating power of equality. It is a true story of an artist whose work became the rallying iconography for gay pride.

    We meet Touko Laaksonen, aka Tom of Finland (Pekka Strang), at the end of his Finnish military service just after World War II. The army was an oppressive environment for a gay man at a time when homosexuality was a crime. Inspired by the machismo of military uniforms, Tom secretly developed what became a universal artform that became emblematic of gay culture. His sketches depicted the exaggerated muscularity and sexual power of a social underclass that was regularly lampooned as effeminate, passive and weak. Leather-clad riders on powerful bikes with bulging genitals were regarded by authorities as pornographic but they became iconic self-identity images for the gay community. His early work was dangerous: while being interrogated under suspicion of being gay, a policeman tells him "we used to throw scum like you into concentration camps". While he was an underground criminal in Finland, he was a hero in America. When he arrived in California he was overwhelmed by the openness of America's gay culture, and throughout the 60s and 70s sexual revolution his work was widely exhibited and published. Today he is lauded as one of Finland's heroes.

    This story engages at several levels. It is a tale about a gay man's coming out in a repressive society and the global impact he had on the recognition of the LGBTI community. That alone is a big story. But beyond the bio-pic narrative, there is a larger story about the power of art to transform the human condition. Across millennia, art has objectified physical beauty for visual pleasure. Tom's creative sketches beautified the male body in a way that re-defined gay masculinity, empowering those suffering from persecuted sexuality. The strength of the film is in its capture of the mood, fashion, and upheaval of the times. In its two hours spanning four decades of change, it leaps across time and space with editing that can feel disjointed. The cinematography is excellent and the filming palette portrays the gloom of repressive Finland, brightening into the kaleidoscopic colours and music of free America. Key performances are played with understated realism to emphasise the role of Tom's art in social change rather than Tom as a person.

    If you have ever wondered what inspired the butch styles made famous by the Village People, now you know. Regardless of where this film is seen, Tom of Finland (2017) is a reminder of just how long it has taken for the gay community to enjoy equal rights and the struggles that still remain. This interesting well-made film sheds a warm light on an artist whose work has left a lasting impact on the creation of a more inclusive society.
    helpful•11
    5
    • CineMuseFilms
    • Oct 29, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 24, 2017 (Finland)
    • Countries of origin
      • Finland
      • Sweden
      • Denmark
      • Germany
      • Iceland
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • Finnish
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Tom od Finske
    • Filming locations
      • Haga, Gothenburg, Västra Götalands län, Sweden
    • Production companies
      • Helsinki-Filmi
      • Anagram
      • Fridthjof Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €5,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $381,610
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $13,524
      • Oct 15, 2017
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,792,414
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 57 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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