Populärmusik aus Vittula (Populaarimusiikkia Vittulanjänkältä)

A colourful tale of the childhood years of two friends, Matti and Niila, taking place in the village of Pajala in the Swedish part of the Torne Valley which separates Finland and Sweden. Children of Pajala learn very early on what their place in this world is. They are not quite Finnish, nor Swedish, they have no table manners and don’t know how to converse; they wear a cap indoors, history books don’t mention them, and they certainly don’t know how to wrap a present. In short, they are nothing, and their only hope for becoming something is to move south. But then the two boys discover music, rock and roll, the Beatles. This leaves a lasting impression on their lives. Nothing is lacking in their rock ‘n’ roll attitude when they organise their first gig at the school: a playback of Jailhouse Rock mimed through with a skipping rope microphone and a toy guitar. In their minds, they are living a rock concert that is “as big as the melting of ice from Torne River”. As years go by, Matti and Niila move on to real instruments and a real band, but cannot quite conquer the world with their sound. (Synopsis adapted from Teija Hakamäki: Näytelmäluettelo 2006, SHTL)