Tom of Finland
Seen it?2017 | 116 min | Drama
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It earned strong reviews (83% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and a box office loss. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who loves a strong drama. If you loved The Imitation Game or The Great Escape, start here.
- The mood
- Thoughtful and character-driven.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 56 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in another language, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
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 and men around him even being pressured to marry women and have children. Touko finds refuge in his liberating art, specialising 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.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
83% on Rotten Tomatoes, 56 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
6.6 out of 10
- AwardsWeak
0 wins and 1 nomination from smaller awards and festivals
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$2 million worldwide on a $4 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 11K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Dome Karukoski
- Pekka StrangTouko Laaksonen / Tom of Finland
- Lauri TilkanenVeli
- Jessica GrabowskyKaija
- Taisto OksanenAlijoki
- Seumas F. SargentDoug
- Jakob OftebroJack
- Niklas HognerKake
- Chris MylandSecurity Person
- Alf MyreenAD Artist
- Fabian PureggerTom's Dream Cop