Our take
Most sports biopics are centered around winners– their drive, their spirit, and their determination to beat the competition, and maybe win some glory for their respective teams, hometowns, or countries. The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki instead focuses on a Finnish boxer that lost a match. Shot in 16mm black and white film stock, writer-director Juho Kuosmanen captures the man, not the legend, in sequences that feel like decades-old memories that draws you into his story, his humble character, and the motivations that drive him, a yearning for love rather than bragging rights, trophies, and nationalistic pride. It’s such a charming twist to the genre, one that recognizes a different kind of masculinity. While Mäki might not be the world’s best boxer, this film suggests that he might be one of the happiest, forgoing an important match for a marriage that ended up lasting his lifetime.
What it won
Cannes
1 win
European Film Awards
1 nom
The story
Summer 1962 and Olli Mäki has a shot at the world championship title in featherweight boxing. From the Finnish countryside to the bright lights of Helsinki, everything has been prepared for his fame and fortune. All Olli has to do is lose weight and concentrate. But there is a problem – he has fallen in love with Raija.
Elsewhere
"This classically-styled romance serves as an intoxicating reminder that historic sporting events invariably have a human side to them."
— Adam Woodward
"...Olli Mki bucks the cinematic convention of sporting self-sacrifice with one bracingly simple suggestion: that finding, being with and caring for the person you love might be more important than running yourself ragged in pursuit of passing glory."
— Hannah McGill
Finland, 1962. After booking a match against American featherweight world champion Davey Moore, Olli Mäki has a shot at the title, launching him to national stardom. While the media circus is bothersome and Mäki needs to lose at least four pounds, his manager is confident about his conviction to win, at least until Mäki falls in love with friend-of-a-friend Raija Jänkä.
It’s just so drastically different from the sports genre altogether– instead of music to build up the hype, the film sticks to a natural sound design; instead of bright colored lights, the film is in black and white; instead of worldwide success, Mäki ends up elsewhere. It’s nice to hear about wins and the journey it takes, but the film also proves that it’s also important to hear about what it takes to let go.
Olli Mäki is a lover, not a fighter.
The details
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
