Stupid Young Heart

2018, 102 minutes

Edgy and warm drama about suburban teenagers, who unexpectedly have to deal with grown up problems of pregnancy, while extreme right ideas enter their multicultural neighbourhood.

When 15-year-old Kiira gets pregnant, she and her equally young boyfriend, Lenni decide to keep the baby. It’s clear from the start the young parents are hoping to create the family they always wanted – both live with their single moms who aren’t invested in them. But the novelty of playing house doesn’t last long, and their future looks dire without jobs or money.

Set against the backdrop of immigration tension in Finland and the rise of neo-Nazis, Stupid Young Heart is more than a teen romance. Vilhunen explores real hardships of the working-class, and her portrayal of teens is heartbreakingly authentic. Honkonen and Ristseppä give sensitive performances that will haunt you after the final scene.

Stupid Young Heart is a story about the first love of lightly built, carefree Lenni (15) and gorgeous and popular Kiira (16). Not yet even properly in a relationship, they discover that they are expecting a baby, and decide to keep it – partly as a statement to their families who have lost touch with what goes on in the teenagers’ lives. Lenni has nine months to become a man. Having grown up without a father figure, Lenni receives longed for adult attention from an unlikely friend Janne (40), a member of an extreme right wing activist group. After taking part in a scrambled attack on a local Mosque, while Kiira is rushed to the hospital to give birth, Lenni realises that he can be a man in his own way, even if he never had a chance to be a child himself.

Credits

Themes
Family, Identity, Poverty
Suitable for
havo/vwo - bovenbouw
hbo/wo
mbo - niveau 1 & 2
mbo - niveau 3 & 4
vmbo b/k - leerjaar 3 & 4
vmbo t - leerjaar 3 & 4
Director
Selma Vilhunen
Country of production
Finland, Netherlands, The, Sweden
Type
Fiction
Duration
102 minutes
Year
2018
Age rating
12 geweld