FORBIDDEN FRUIT

FORBIDDEN FRUIT (KIELLETTY HEDELMÄ), 2009
Finland | 35mm, Color, 104’ | Finnish
Director: Dome Karukoski
Cast: Marjut Maristo, Amanda Pilke, Malla Malmivaara

It is forbidden to put on make-up, to dress colorfully, forbidden to go to the movies, kiss, dance, listen to music… Two close friends, Raakel and Maria, have never left their fundamentalist Lutheran town until Maria decides she wants to see the city, to witness the possibility of a different life, albeit from a distance, and Raakel follows her to keep an eye on her. Completely different difficulties await them in the city: The people, the music, movies, love, bad guys; and, most important, decisions to be made and their outcomes… With its melancholic cinematography and the Finnish feel that pervades its every moment, this unusual coming of age story is reminiscent of Kaurismäki films.