NORDIC HIGHLIGHTS
Junnu and Raisa meet at a children’s home for problematic youths, a place more like a prison than a social care centre. They steal a car and manage to escape. They end up on a paradise-like island where their journey turns into a surreal trip on drugs, but reality cannot be kept at bay for long.With carefree youthfulness, Valkeapää mixes genres taking us on a visual and audial journey, with an intensity ranging from a gentle dream to a nightmare. ‘They Have Escaped’ is the director’s second feature. It received a Grand Prix at a festival in Finland (adding to its score prizes for best visual and sound editing), as well as Sven Nykvist’s award for best cinematography at the Goteborg Festival.
